Where Are They?
RICHARD C. BARNARD, Editor in Chief
Where are the world’s 121,000 merchant vessels? Where are they
going and what are they doing? The Navy and other U.S. government agencies
intend to find out by tracking them every minute of the day, thereby
bolstering the nation’s security.
The sheer volume of seagoing traffic, and the opportunities it presents
for terrorists, makes containerized shipping uniquely vulnerable to terrorist
attack, according to Robert C. Bonner, chief of the U.S. Customs and
Border Protection.
Unlike airplanes, most ships are not tracked throughout their journey.
But they soon will be, as the Navy turns to the kind of tracking techniques
and technologies characteristic of its adept monitoring of Soviet submarines
a generation ago. Information gleaned from the service’s underwater
listening devices will be combined with data from other sources, such
as space-based surveillance systems, and collated in intelligence fusion
centers able to convert data into knowledge about the location and cargo
of every seagoing merchant ship. One goal is to develop the capability
for the assessment of trends — or anomalies — in the travel
patterns of merchant vessels and the cargoes they carry. Assistant Editor
David W. Munns reports (p. 10) that a key element of the long-term effort
is the modernized Sound Surveillance System that was central to the Navy’s
sub tracking successes during the Cold War.
Also in this issue, John A. Panneton, our new national president, provides
his “back to basics” agenda for the Navy League (p. 3), cautioning
members that, “We will be more effective in the years ahead only
if our organization continues to develop and prosper through an increase
in our membership.”
Managing Editor Richard R. Burgess tells us (p. 20) that future front-line
unmanned aircraft may function as mother ships, launching smaller, expendable
unmanned craft to attack high-value targets such as enemy air defenses.
Similar developments are taking place underwater, according to Special
Correspondent Robert A. Hamilton, who covers the Navy’s latest
master plan for underwater vehicles (p. 26) that envisions a 10-ton mini-sub
to be launched by the new class of SSGN cruise-missile submarines. Also
in the plan: a “brain-based controller” based on the motor
control system in animal brains, enabling unmanned vehicles to deal with
vagaries of the underwater turbulence or obstacles in their paths.
Associate Editor Sue A. Lackey reports (p. 14) on Marine studies that
may lead to a new family of light vehicles for the Corps.
Enjoy!
We are eager to get your feedback. Contact me at rbarnard@navyleague.org
or by mail at Seapower, 2300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3308.
