In the Pacific Theatre on the campaign against terrorism Australia and the US agreed that South East Asia was a key front. Except that you don’t aim missiles at terrorists, missiles are pointed at nations. #msg-3542419
The Navy is conducting an internal study in which between nine and 11 attack submarines potentially would be stationed off Guam, including the three already based there. But a final decision is not expected for more than a year, Walsh said.
-Am
9 submarines possible
By Frank Oliveri PDN Washington bureau
TO THE POINT It may be more than a year, but the Navy will decide whether to add about nine to 11 attack submarines to Guam's current fleet of three
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Navy officials are debating whether it is time to base more attack submarines in the Pacific, including Guam, where tension, potential terrorism and economic growth are on the rise.
Rear Adm. Joseph Walsh, director of the Navy's Submarine Warfare Division, said the U.S. military is looking to increase its capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region and the demand for attack submarines appears to be greatest there.
'There is a growing economic shift of importance toward the Pacific,' Walsh said. 'Many countries in the Pacific are growing economically and growing militarily.'
The Navy is conducting an internal study in which between nine and 11 attack submarines potentially would be stationed off Guam, including the three already based there. But a final decision is not expected for more than a year, Walsh said.
If the Navy were to choose that course, the effects in the region would be significant:
Guam would require housing, hospital, sewer and water and road upgrades to accommodate more than 1,000 sailors and their families. Each submarine has a crew of about 150.
The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on Hawaii also may require expansion. It is one of three Navy shipyards able to perform overhauls of submarines, but currently is at capacity, Walsh said. Pearl Harbor is also the home for 11 attack submarines. Navy officials and experts said the economic impact on Guam and Hawaii could be significant.
Sailors, for example, pay federal income taxes that would come back to Guam. To staff nine to 11 submarines in Guam, Navy officials said annual salaries for sailors and other personnel would be about $9 million per boat.
Additionally, sailors buy things such as food, clothing and cars, said Lt. Jon Spiers, a Navy spokesman. Construction dollars also would pour into Hawaii and Guam for road, housing and other infrastructure improvements.
'The logistical trail to Guam runs through Hawaii, so any boost for Guam will also benefit our economy,' said Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. 'We provide the platform for command and control, administrative functions, maintenance and other services. That means jobs, construction and more federal investment in Hawaii.'
Saving time, distance
Attack submarines perform a number of missions, including stealthy intelligence gathering and surveillance, transporting special operations forces and launching cruise missiles. They also are potent weapons against enemy shipping and submarines.
Walsh said the Navy has balanced its attack submarine force with 27 in the Atlantic Fleet and 27 in the Pacific Fleet. Each fleet typically would provide one submarine to support the commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East and other hot spots.
But recently Walsh said the balance has changed. Atlantic Fleet now provides two submarines to Central Command and operates two submarines in the Pacific to assist there.
'That tells us we need to have this conversation,' Walsh said.
Guam is considered a key staging area for submarines because of its proximity to China and Taiwan, North Korea and the Philippines. Being closer to those areas means the submarines spend less time in transit and more time on patrol. It also would enable the Navy to reduce the time crews spend at sea away from their families.
The Navy loses many days of service time when submarines must travel from locations in the western Pacific thousands of miles back to Pearl Harbor or San Diego, said Ron O'Rourke, a Navy expert at the Congressional Research Service.
Gaining efficiency is important as the Navy tries to align long-range budgets, mission needs and plans to modernize. The Navy, for example, could reduce the overall size of the attack submarine force from a goal of 55 boats, which would help it to pay for new Virginia-class attack submarines. The first Virginia-class sub was delivered last week.
The Congressional Budget Office pointed out earlier this year that if the Navy were to base up to 11 attack submarines on Guam, it would cost about $200 million in construction to support the move. But the construction cost is less than 10 percent of the cost of one Virginia-class submarine, which is worth $2.3 billion.
If more attack submarines are based at Guam, the budget office reasoned, then the Navy wouldn't need to buy as many of the new subs.
'Guam buys you a lot,' said Bob Work, a senior analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment. 'I think what the Navy is trying to figure out is how much do you expand.'
Work said Hawaii would need to expand its shipyard because typhoons hit Guam at least once a year, and more maintenance facilities would need to be at Pearl Harbor.
But Walsh said the Navy could take more than a year to make a final decision on how forces will be placed in the Pacific. He said the Navy wants to spend time studying how efficiently the submarines on Guam operate. Running through several deployment cycles should provide a clearer picture, he said.
'Clearly they are more efficient,' Walsh said. 'But it's hard to tell how much.'
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