SUBMARINE FORCES

to prevent conflicts that are adverse to U.S. interests. The carrier battle group can quickly respond to crises in areas where U.S. interests require a military presence. The carrier can remain offshore to show America’s interest in affairs ashore. The carrier battle group and its associated naval units have the means to respond to almost any event. Aircraft carrier battle groups contribute directly to the United States’ capability to counter a major Warsaw Pact attack against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). These mobile forces help keep major sea-lanes open against potential threats. Together with other services, they provide major offensive initiatives should a NATO/Warsaw pact war or lesser conflict occur. Carrier-based tactical aircraft can wage concentrated tactical air power in remote areas of the world where the United States does not have land bases. SUBMARINE FORCES Historically, the mission of a submarine has been to seek and destroy both combatant and noncombatant enemy surface ships. Now the primary mission of the submarines is to seek and destroy enemy submarines. The advent of the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine added an entirely new mission—the delivery of ballistic missile attacks against assigned shore targets. In 1955 the Chief of Naval Operations ordered the development of a weapons system capable of launching a missile from a submerged submarine. The system was to be able to hit any point on the earth’s surface with a nuclear warhead—a complex engineering feat never achieved in history. The system was envisioned to have three basic components—missiles, a launching platform, and a navigation system that would continuously show the ship’s position under all conditions. The United States launched its first fleet ballistic missile (FBM) submarine, George Washington, SSBN-598, in June 1959. It contained 16 launching tubes equipped with Polaris A-1, 1200-nautical-mile-range missiles. The submarine conducted its first successful test on 20 July 1960 off Cape Canaveral. In November 1960, the FBM system became operational when George Washington deployed on its first 60-day patrol. Since then, several versions have been developed, including the Poseidon and the Trident. Trident I C4 FBM. 1-6