Need for Joint Littoral ASW Doctrine

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Need for Joint Littoral ASW Doctrine

H. S. Goldman

One of the greatest threats to Sea Power 21's vision of assured access and Joint Vision 2020's principle of dominant maneuver is the continuing improvement of diesel submarine technology and operations. Steady proliferation of SSK technology and rising production of diesel submarines has empowered smaller navies of weaker nations with a potent tool in the war for sea control or sea denial. US ASW forces today are ill prepared to deal with this improving threat. ASW continues to be mired in Cold War assumptions. Programs to improve ASW wrongly focus on technology and platform -sensor performance instead of overall force employment and operational level concepts. This paper sets out to demonstrate and validate the need for a joint littoral ASW doctrine which would enable forces to rise above the technology centric thinking of ASW which remains entrenched at the tactical level. Having a written doctrine for ASW forces would give impetus to the establishment of a joint ASW center for excellence and guide forces in the ability to synchronize large scale ASW operations between several services.