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| Submarine Command | |
|---|---|
| Name | Submarine Command |
| Type | Naval command |
| Established | Ancient to modern eras |
| Jurisdiction | Oceans |
| Headquarters | Various navies |
| Parent agency | Naval forces |
Submarine Command is the authority and practice by which a naval officer directs submarine operations, commands crew, and executes maritime missions. Across eras from Athenian Navy trireme commanders to modern United States Navy and Royal Navy captains, submarine commanders integrate strategic orders from institutions such as NATO and national leaders like those involved in the Yalta Conference with tactical initiatives at sea. Submarine command interacts with organizations including the United States Pacific Fleet, Russian Northern Fleet, People's Liberation Army Navy, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, French Navy, Indian Navy, and multinational exercises such as RIMPAC and Joint Warrior.
Submarine command evolved from early innovations like Cornelius Drebbel's submersible prototypes and the combat use of the H. L. Hunley during the American Civil War, through the submarine actions of the First World War and the Second World War. Command practice adapted during campaigns such as the Battle of the Atlantic, the Pacific campaigns involving USS Nautilus (SSN-571) and USS Wahoo (SS-238), and operations by commanders like Karl Dönitz and Eugene Fluckey. Postwar developments during the Cold War—including patrols by USS George Washington (SSBN-598), patrol doctrine shaped by the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Soviet measures in the K-19 incidents—reshaped command norms. Contemporary history includes integration with alliances like ANZUS, engagement in conflicts such as the Falklands War and operations reported during the Gulf War, and peacetime missions supporting United Nations mandates and humanitarian efforts coordinated with agencies including NATO and the European Union.
Naval hierarchies assign submarine command within rank structures like those of the Royal Navy, United States Navy, Russian Navy, People's Liberation Army Navy, French Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and Indian Navy. Typical ranks include officers comparable to lieutenant commander and commander in anglophone services, flag connections to formations such as Fleet Command or the Navy Board, and reporting chains to strategic leadership like Chief of Naval Operations or the First Sea Lord. Organizational units include squadrons akin to Submarine Squadron 17, flotillas similar to the Soviet Northern Fleet subdivisions, and strategic components like Ballistic Missile Submarine forces under commands such as Strategic Command. Oversight may involve institutions like the Naval Academy and governmental ministries such as the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) or Ministry of Defence (Russia).
Selection and preparation draw from schools and programs at institutions like the United States Naval Academy, HMS Raleigh, École Navale, Indian Naval Academy, and training centers such as Naval Submarine School (Groton), Zvezdochka, and HMAS Stirling. Qualification pipelines include courses in navigation, sonar, engineering overseen by units like Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, with assessment boards similar to those used in Submarine Officer Basic Course environments. Historical training programs evolved after incidents involving USS Thresher (SSN-593) and K-141 Kursk to emphasize damage control, emergency procedures taught in simulators modeled on systems by General Dynamics Electric Boat and Rosoboronexport platforms. Exchange programs, e.g., between Royal Australian Navy and Royal Navy, and exercises such as RIMPAC and Malabar enhance cross-national qualification standards.
Commanders balance mission objectives from authorities like Joint Chiefs of Staff or national cabinets with on-scene decisions influenced by intelligence from agencies such as the NSA, GRU, GCHQ, and DGSE. Responsibilities include patrol planning, weapons release decisions constrained by treaties like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and agreements such as START Treaty implications for nuclear forces. Tactical discretion during encounters—illustrated historically in confrontations like the Attack on the USS Stark context or Gulf of Tonkin incident debates—requires coordination with assets including carrier strike groups, antisubmarine warfare forces, maritime patrol aircraft like the P-8 Poseidon, and satellite constellations including GPS and reconnaissance systems from agencies such as NOAA satellites.
Doctrine traces through authors and schools represented by concepts used in engagements like the Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Source, and Operation Trident (1971). Tactics include stealth approaches developed during World War II wolfpack operations, Cold War doctrines for strategic deterrence with SSBN patrols, and littoral operations exemplified in exercises of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Anti-surface and anti-submarine tactics intersect with platforms such as Los Angeles-class submarine, Akula-class submarine, Kilo-class submarine, Type 212 submarine, S-80-class submarine, and assets like ASROC and Harpoon missiles. Commanders employ doctrines codified in manuals of navies like the US Naval Doctrine Publication and doctrines influenced by theorists connected to institutions like the US Naval War College and the Royal United Services Institute.
Modern command depends on systems from vendors such as Raytheon, Thales Group, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics Electric Boat. Key technologies include sonar suites like AN/BQQ-5, fire-control systems modeled on Mk 48 torpedo integration, inertial navigation systems from Honeywell, nuclear reactor plants by Westinghouse Electric Company and designs such as Pressurized Water Reactor variants, and communication suites including Very Low Frequency and Extremely Low Frequency networks linked to facilities like Jim Creek and HMS Forest Moor. Command support uses tactical data links compatible with Link 11 and Link 16, integration with space assets like Navstar GPS and spy satellites from agencies such as NRO, and autonomous technologies exemplified by Orca (UUV) and unmanned systems showcased by firms like Bluefin Robotics.
Commanders operate under legal regimes including obligations from the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Conventions of 1907, and national laws enforced by institutions such as the International Criminal Court and naval courts-martial like those in the Judge Advocate General's Corps (United States). Ethical dilemmas arise around rules of engagement in incidents such as the CSS Alabama controversies, detentions seen in cases like HMS Glasgow tensions, and nuclear command issues debated after crises including the Cuban Missile Crisis. Oversight and accountability involve inquiries analogous to commissions like the Warren Commission in structure, parliamentary reviews by bodies such as the House Armed Services Committee, and inspectorates similar to the National Audit Office.
Category:Naval command