Submarine communication

Keywords Law of naval warfare Warships Submarines Unmanned maritime systems Submarine communications cables Hospital ships Merchant vessels Methods and means of naval warfare Naval mines Torpedoes Blockade Exclusion zones Naval bombardment Protected persons... 

According to Article 54 of The Hague Regulations (1907), submarine cables connecting an occupied territory with a neutral territory shall not be seized or destroyed except in case of absolute necessity . This means that, under the traditional law, submarine communications cables are not protected from desfruction if they connect enemy territory with the territory of an ally of the enemy or if they connect enemy territory, which is not occupied, with neutral territory. Moreover, Article 54 is limited to land warfare and, therefore, does not necessarily provide for interference with submarine communications cables in sea areas beyond the outer limit of the territorial sea. The San Remo Manual has not necessarily contributed to an improvement of the protection of submarine communications cables, it merely provides that belligerents shall take care to avoid damage to cables [...] laid on the sea-bed which do not exclusively serve the belligerents . ... 

Today, submarine communications cables are the backbone of international data traffic. Submarine cables carry over 95 % of the world s international voice, data, and video traffic, including almost 100 % of transoceanic Internet ocean... 

In view of the overall importance of submarine communications cables, it is doubtful whether their wide exclusion from the categories of protected objects in the law of naval warfare may still be considered as properly reflecting the current legal situation. Unfortunately, States have neglected this issue not only in the context of the law of armed conflict but also in the context of the international law of the sea. Therefore, any allegation of an extended protection cannot be based on State practice. 

The experience in the nuclear submarine community is a testament to the fact that such dynamics can be overcome. The SUBSAFE program (described in the next chapter) was established after the loss of the Thresher in 1963. Since that time, no submarine in the SUBSAFE program, that is, satisfying the SUBSAFE requirements, has been lost, although such losses were common before SUBSAFE was established. 

SUBSAFE requirements, as documented in the SUBSAFE manual, permeate the entire submarine community. These requirements are invoked in design, construction, operations, and maintenance and cover the following aspects of submarine development and operations ... 

These fundamentals, coupled with a questioning attitude and what those in SUBSAFE term a chronic uneasiness, are credited for SUBSAFE success. The fundamentals are taught and embraced throughout the submarine community. The members of this community believe that it is absolutely critical that they do not allow themselves to drift away from the fundamentals. 

Promethium produces beta rays (high-energy electrons). These beta rays are used to produce nuclear-powered batteries to provide electricity for spacecraft, as well as long-term usage for up to five years in regions without electricity. It also could be used as a source of portable X-rays, as a gauge to measure the thickness of various materials, and to produce special lasers that can communicate with submarines. 

Optical fibers are the materials basis of the optical communication systems which in the last five years have essentially replaced the backbone long distance communication network in the U.S. and are now in submarine systems that connect the U.S. to both Europe and Asia. Developing economical fiber preparation techniques has depended on process physical chemical understanding. 

Detection of buried objects Communication with submarines, electrical power Telephone audio range Navigation, sonar Navigation, radio beacon AM, maritime radio Shortwave radio, citizen s band Television, FM, police, mobile Radar, television, navigation Radar, satellite Radar, space exploration... 

The primary objective of establishing SEALs is to protect crew members from adverse health effects—particularly to the respiratory and central nervous systems— from exposures to the combustion gases and chlorine. The Navy will use SEALs as one of many parameters in its Submarine Escape and Rescue Expert System model. That model takes into account several additional parameters, such as geographical position and depth of the submarine, number and medical condition of the crew members, ability to communicate with search and rescue forces, and compartment temperature, and is used by the senior officer to assist in making a decision on whether to escape from the disabled submarine. 

The U.S. Navy submariner population currently consists of an all-male, generally healthy group (personal communication, Commander Wayne Horn, U.S. Navy 2000). The average age of enlisted men is 26, and the average for officers is 31. The men are screened before assignment to a submarine for physical fitness and chronic health problems (e.g., neurologic, cardiovascular, respiratory). 

Crew members on a disabled submarine would not be expected to be engaged in heavy physical activity (Captain K.Still, U.S. Navy, personal commun., 2001). Some crew members would need to do light work, such as the use of a fire extinguisher. However, the majority of crew members on a disabled submarine would be asked to lay down in their bunks and keep their eyes closed, which would serve to conserve oxygen, reduce carbon dioxide production, reduce the amount of toxic gases that the submariners would inhale, and reduce eye irritation. 

When SEAL values are exceeded, the senior officer on a disabled submarine might decide to begin an escape. However, this decision is based on many parameters in addition to the SEAL values (personal commun., K.Still, U.S. Navy 2001). Source U.S. Navy. Naval Sea System Command Technical Publication 59594-AP-SAR-010. SSN688 Class Guard Book, Disabled Submarine Survival Guide, Forward Escape Trunk Interim October 30, 2000. 

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