"Whale fears silence US Navy sonar"

[USNavySEAL3310]

BBC News article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6934715.stm

Intro says it all:

"The US Navy has been ordered not to use mid-frequency sonar equipment during training exercises off the coast of California until the end of 2009."

I'm curious, how will this effect the U.S. Navy in conducting training exercises in the Pacific? Specifics?

I'm not too in touch with life under the surface and thus don't know the difference between mid-level and high and low levels (?) of sonar. Would this 'ban' seriously hamper the U.S. Navy in detecting other ships and subs in the Pacific?

Any additional info would be appreciated relating to this topic.

Thanks.

 

[Musashi_kenshin]

Would this 'ban' seriously hamper the U.S. Navy in detecting other ships and subs in the Pacific?

Read the article. It says the ban affects training exercises - i.e. it's temporary and localised.

 

[Galrahn]

I'm curious, how will this effect the U.S. Navy in conducting training exercises in the Pacific? Specifics?

A great deal, basically it prevents using the equipment of many of the ASW training programs that have to do with littoral submarines. The reason training locally is important is because training remotely makes it more likely observers can guage the capability of your equipment.

It also prevents the testing of equipment, so if the Navy ever needs it, with this ruling they won't know if it is working right until its showtime.

As if USN ASW training needed more roadblocks, in addition to the tactical training cutbacks the equipment also gets cut short in training because of judges like this. ASW and MIW are difficult aspects of naval warfare that take a great deal of training to be good at. Sims help, but like all things you have to do the real thing against a real target to know how it works in the real world.

There will be appeals.