z
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Posts: 69
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There's worse to come. Manned submarines have a very limited role in modern warfare that, for a country of Australia's size and budget, is negligible. A bit of history sets the stage.
The German U-boats were highly effective weapons at the time for two main reasons: there were no long-range missiles and no satellite surveillance. Their captains were essentially modern pirates with a military commission: "Destroy enemy shipping!" They had very limited communication with High Command once at sea, but didn't need it, and acted autonomously, severely damaging the Atlantic supply convoys which literally kept the UK alive. The situation in the Pacific was quite different owing to the dominant American presence, but both German and Japanese boats were effective stealth weapons, being invisible and almost undetectable until they attacked.
The situation today is very different. Lengthy, large-scale military engagements can no longer occur between major powers because of the tremendous destruction wreaked by modern weapons. If the USA attacked Russia or China, as the neocons are lusting to do, it would all be over in a few days, with smoking, radioactive ruins on both sides. All know this, which is why the action is kept bubbling along at smaller scales in the mutually-agreed theatres of victim countries.
Submarines serve three main functions: as stealth attack vessels, as hidden missile platforms, and as stealth surveillance vessels. The only ones needing to be manned are the missile platforms, primarily for retaliatory strikes. If land-based missile batteries are taken out by a first strike, the subs can still deliver fatal blows.
Destroying naval surface vessels is easily accomplished by long-range cruise missiles launched from ships or aircraft, and are virtually inescapable once launched, being both autonomous, and flying at high speed a few metres above the ocean. There's no need for a submarine to "sneak up" on them, much less a manned one. Submarine surveillance is far more effective using autonomous drone vessels: the burden of long-term life-support on a surveillance vessel not only makes it far larger and more costly than an unmanned vessel, but much more vulnerable. In addition, you'd get a fleet of drones for the cost of a single manned boat.
China will never invade Australia. They can get everything they want by bribing our corrupt politicians, public servants, bankers and Big Business Bosses. And they know as well as everyone else that the Oz military is just a Farce.
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