ASA 127th Meeting M.I.T. 1994 June 6-10

2pAO1. Dual use potentials of the U.S. Navy's integrated undersea surveillance system.

Harold A. Williams

Undersea Surveillance, Space and Naval Warfare System Command, Washington, DC 20363-5100

The U.S. Navy is interested in further exploring the potential additional uses of the integrated undersea surveillance system. The system consists of both high-gain long fixed arrays in the deep ocean basins, and mobile ships equipped with long towed arrays. Significant signal processing is incorporated, together with expert operators. Applications for the data could include marine mammals, seismic research, global warming, weather research, fisheries enforcement, and drug enforcement. At the same time, due to the reduced security demands of the Defense department, funding for this personnel-intensive, expensive system has been greatly reduced. Future opportunities for collaborative initiatives between the U.S. Navy and other agencies will be explored.