Word: seawolf
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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When Navy Secretary JOHN DALTON took delivery of Electric Boat's first Seawolf submarine in July, he praised the ship's stealthiness. He spoke little about its weapons systems, since it carries the same missiles and torpedoes as the Los Angeles-class subs it is replacing. Nor did he speak about how the Navy was helping to pay for Seawolf ($2.4 billion each): by scrapping 15 Los Angeles-class subs this year and next, some of which spent barely half their 30-year life-spans at sea. The cost to the taxpayer: about $2.4 billion...
Critics say the early retirements will help finance a wholesale rebuilding effort. Indeed, in its 1998 budget, the Navy is seeking $3 billion to replace the Seawolf with a third generation of nuclear-powered attack submarines. It argues that Russia's fledgling Akula and yet to be built Severodvinsk classes are "projected to outperform today's most advanced Western submarines in many respects." Someone should tell the Navy that the cold war is over...
...other reason is jobs--pork," Walker said. "That's why the New England delegation in the House and Senate voted for the Seawolf submarine, including our two senators [from Massachusetts...
...Seawolf Submarine. The problems speak for themselves. Perhaps more blatantly than the other measures, this nuclear sub reveals the vast inadequacies of Cold War technology in dealing with today's security needs. What, in the absence of Red October, do we propose to hunt? The value of such an investment can only be in its ability as a deterrent; this, in turn, can only work effectively if there is a clarified target. During the Cold War, such a vehicle made excellent sense; it could loom menacingly around the Soviet continent, ready for immediate deployment in the event of a security...
...China were to invade Taiwan, the presence of a Seawolf off its coast would certainly not hinder it; Beijing could comfort itself with the knowledge that, given the shaky status of Taiwan, drastic unilateral action taken by the U.S. on such an issue would be impossible, and any multilateral decision would involve at most a humanitarian, peacekeeping initiative. As with SDI and the missile testing deregulation, the uselessness of the Seawolf in international peacekeeping illustrates the Senate's disregard for the increasing internationalization of strategic politics...