Submarine Technology Symposium 2010

The 2010 Submarine Technology Symposium (STS 2010) will be held at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) from 11 to 13 May 2010. Jointly sponsored by JHU/APL and the Naval Submarine League, this year’s Symposium will provide a classified forum for examining current, emerging, and future technologies that may aid the submarine warfighter and enhance the current and future operational performance of the Submarine Force in Theater Operations and Irregular Warfare engagements. The United States continues to rely upon our Submarine Force to provide critical capabilities in challenging environments, and the operational requirements far exceed the Submarine Force availability. The sessions that make up this year’s Symposium were selected to focus on the fact that submarines, due in large measure to their stealth, mission adaptability, and endurance, are uniquely suited to play more valuable and critical roles in irregular warfare and be a force multiplier in theater-level operations.

This Symposium will highlight technologies that enhance the submarine’s value to theater commanders during escalating hostile phases of conflict as more vulnerable assets become increasingly limited. Our goal is to stimulate thought and elicit technical papers focused on advanced technical concepts that are developing, or that may develop, into systems and processes needed to maintain an undersea advantage during Theater Operations and Irregular Warfare engagements.

The following are the technical sessions and Session Chairs for STS 2010:

Session 1: Technologies to Support Special Operating Forces and Irregular Warfare (SOF/IW)

Chair: Mr. Chris Watkins (JHU/APL)
Asst: Mr. Rick Blank (JHU/APL)

Session One will introduce innovative technologies to support Special Operating Forces and Irregular Warfare. Technical topics will focus on enhancing the submarine role in Special Operating Forces and Irregular Warfare. Technologies involving off-board vehicles and sensors, unique payloads, specialized ship equipment, novel capabilities to support Special Operating Forces ashore, offensive information operations, and solutions for covert, secure and reliable communications.

Session 2: Technologies to Enhance the Submarine’s Contributions in the Maritime Theater of Operations (e.g., ASW, ASuW, MIW, Maritime ISR)

Chair: Charles T. Bush, RADM, USN (Ret) (Raytheon)
Asst: Paul Rosbolt, CAPT, USN (Ret) (Raytheon)

Session Two will offer technology solutions that have significant potential to provide for improvements to the submarine force to conduct ASW, ASUW, USW, ISR & MIW missions in the future (10-20 year time-frame). This session will focus on improvements in digital imaging, acoustic, and non-acoustic technologies with emphasis on detection, classification, tracking and targeting.

Session 3: Technologies that Enhance the Submarine’s Contributions beyond the Undersea Battlespace (Strike, BMD, SEAD, Reconstitution of Space Assets, Extended ISR)

Chair: Mr. Franz Edson (GD-EB)
Asst: Ms. Jennifer Panosky (GD-EB)

The focus of Session Three will be on technical solutions that will enable submarine contributions to Strike, BMD and Suppression of Enemy Air Defense Missions in the future (10-20 year time-frame). This session will provide technical topics related to the submarine acting as a force multiplier by destroying or otherwise neutralizing hostile assets and ballistic missiles that would otherwise inhibit friendly sea, air, and land operations.

Session 4: Technologies to Enhance Submarine Survivability in Theater Level and Irregular Warfare Operations

Chair: Dr. Pierre Corriveau (NUWC Newport)
Asst: Mr. George Zvara (NUWC Newport)

Session Four will present a range of technologies that will enhance submarine survivability with emphasis on vulnerabilities that might be the result of irregular warfare, SOF and theater warfare operations. Topics will focus on technical solutions for traditional and non-traditional submarine security concerns to include signature control and masking, situational awareness, offensive capabilities, defensive resources, and the ability to withstand battle damage.

Session 5: New Technologies to Improve Submarine C3 and Theater Interoperability

Chair: Fred Byus, RDML, USN (Ret) (Battelle)
Asst: Mr. Dennis Haines (Battelle)

The thrust of Session Five is Improving Interoperability through technical solutions that will improve secure command, control and communications with the submarine force by any platform (land, air, surface, subsurface) in multiple mediums and modes. This session will address technology solutions that allow force units to passively, as well as actively share intelligence, friendly and hostile force status, and commanders’ intentions.