| Welcome To The Official Website For The USS RICHARD B. RUSSELL (SSN-687) |
RADM Sullivan graduated
with distinction from the
U.S. Naval Academy in
1970 and completed
graduate education at
M.I.T/ W.H.O.I. and the
National War College.
Starting his submarine
career on the diesel
submarine USS Caiman
(SS-323), he later
commanded the ships
USS Birmingham
(SSN-695) and USS
Florida (SSBN-728)
(BLUE) and served as
Commander, Submarine
Group Nine. Most
recently, RADM Sullivan
served as the Director,
Operations and Logistics
(J3/4) and then as
Director, Plans and Policy
(J5) at United States
Strategic Command in
Omaha, Nebraska.
with distinction from the
U.S. Naval Academy in
1970 and completed
graduate education at
M.I.T/ W.H.O.I. and the
National War College.
Starting his submarine
career on the diesel
submarine USS Caiman
(SS-323), he later
commanded the ships
USS Birmingham
(SSN-695) and USS
Florida (SSBN-728)
(BLUE) and served as
Commander, Submarine
Group Nine. Most
recently, RADM Sullivan
served as the Director,
Operations and Logistics
(J3/4) and then as
Director, Plans and Policy
(J5) at United States
Strategic Command in
Omaha, Nebraska.
In early April, I relieved VADM Mal Fages as the CNO’s Director of
Submarine Warfare (N77). When notified of my new assignment, I
was initially struck by the magnitude of the challenges I knew I
would face as the Director supporting our magnificent Submarine
Force. At the same time I was honored to have this wonderful
opportunity to influence the submarine community and help
shape our bright future. VADM Fages turned over a great
organization, fully engaged in the wide spectrum of issues
affecting the force in the Washington D.C. area. I very much
appreciate Mal’s hard work and wish him the best of luck as he
puts on his third star and assumes his new duties at NATO
headquarters in Brussels.
I view the primary mission of my staff to be facilitating the process
of putting to sea the world’s most capable submarines and crews
in support of our national interests. To that end, my top priority is
to support the submarine waterfront with the best ships,
equipment, people, and training possible. While focused
principally on near-term readiness, many of my staff’s efforts deal
with the future requirements of our force and meeting them with
systems that often take years to develop and deliver into the
hands of the forces afloat. I’m very encouraged by the work our
Future Studies Group and Submarine Technology initiatives have
produced to define our future vision. You will find many examples
of our “next steps” toward that vision in this issue of UNDERSEA
WARFARE.
As you read through the magazine, I encourage you to notice
some of the common threads in our initiatives. One of these is the
widespread use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and
open system architecture (OSA) to allow us to build in flexibility
for future upgrades. The process is really no different from that of
purchasing a new home computer. All of us know that any system
you buy can quickly become obsolete as new technology
emerges, so you make sure it has open expansion slots and is
upgradeable using standard components. When the latest video
or sound card hits the market you are ready to pull the old one,
drop in the new one, load the new drivers, and you’re once again
operating with cutting-edge technology. Other distinct
advantages are greater compatibility and interoperability for all
our systems. As opposed to our stove-piped legacy systems,
future systems will be designed to allow new applications to be
added and other systems to interface without having to re-design
or replace them. We are incorporating these changes in our next
generations of torpedoes, sonar systems, undersea surveillance
systems, ESM equipment, and communications capabilities.
As submariners, we must not only anticipate a bright future, but
embrace our rich heritage as well. When we make an error, we
learn from it, and when things go well, we learn from that too. The
customary historical article in this issue is the first of a two-part
series about VADM Lockwood and the Submarine Force in World
War Two. Although there were some victories early on, our
tactics, training, and torpedoes were lacking at the outset. The
lessons learned were much more than just how to make poorly
designed weapons work properly – they went many layers deeper.
We can all learn from the tenacity of those forerunners 60 years
ago who were not afraid to admit there were problems, who were
determined to make things right, and who eventually achieved
“Silent Victory” in the Pacific.
Here in Washington, there is a lot of discussion about how the
“transformed” military must incorporate the characteristics of
stealth, firepower, and endurance. While I can think of no other
platforms that better embody those characteristics than our own
submarines, they’d be of little value if it were not for the superb
efforts of all of you serving onboard or supporting our
submarines at sea. Keep up the good fight! I am proud to
represent you in the difficult, but important, Washington, DC
arena.
RADM Paul F. Sullivan,USN
Director, Submarine Warfare
Submarine Warfare (N77). When notified of my new assignment, I
was initially struck by the magnitude of the challenges I knew I
would face as the Director supporting our magnificent Submarine
Force. At the same time I was honored to have this wonderful
opportunity to influence the submarine community and help
shape our bright future. VADM Fages turned over a great
organization, fully engaged in the wide spectrum of issues
affecting the force in the Washington D.C. area. I very much
appreciate Mal’s hard work and wish him the best of luck as he
puts on his third star and assumes his new duties at NATO
headquarters in Brussels.
I view the primary mission of my staff to be facilitating the process
of putting to sea the world’s most capable submarines and crews
in support of our national interests. To that end, my top priority is
to support the submarine waterfront with the best ships,
equipment, people, and training possible. While focused
principally on near-term readiness, many of my staff’s efforts deal
with the future requirements of our force and meeting them with
systems that often take years to develop and deliver into the
hands of the forces afloat. I’m very encouraged by the work our
Future Studies Group and Submarine Technology initiatives have
produced to define our future vision. You will find many examples
of our “next steps” toward that vision in this issue of UNDERSEA
WARFARE.
As you read through the magazine, I encourage you to notice
some of the common threads in our initiatives. One of these is the
widespread use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and
open system architecture (OSA) to allow us to build in flexibility
for future upgrades. The process is really no different from that of
purchasing a new home computer. All of us know that any system
you buy can quickly become obsolete as new technology
emerges, so you make sure it has open expansion slots and is
upgradeable using standard components. When the latest video
or sound card hits the market you are ready to pull the old one,
drop in the new one, load the new drivers, and you’re once again
operating with cutting-edge technology. Other distinct
advantages are greater compatibility and interoperability for all
our systems. As opposed to our stove-piped legacy systems,
future systems will be designed to allow new applications to be
added and other systems to interface without having to re-design
or replace them. We are incorporating these changes in our next
generations of torpedoes, sonar systems, undersea surveillance
systems, ESM equipment, and communications capabilities.
As submariners, we must not only anticipate a bright future, but
embrace our rich heritage as well. When we make an error, we
learn from it, and when things go well, we learn from that too. The
customary historical article in this issue is the first of a two-part
series about VADM Lockwood and the Submarine Force in World
War Two. Although there were some victories early on, our
tactics, training, and torpedoes were lacking at the outset. The
lessons learned were much more than just how to make poorly
designed weapons work properly – they went many layers deeper.
We can all learn from the tenacity of those forerunners 60 years
ago who were not afraid to admit there were problems, who were
determined to make things right, and who eventually achieved
“Silent Victory” in the Pacific.
Here in Washington, there is a lot of discussion about how the
“transformed” military must incorporate the characteristics of
stealth, firepower, and endurance. While I can think of no other
platforms that better embody those characteristics than our own
submarines, they’d be of little value if it were not for the superb
efforts of all of you serving onboard or supporting our
submarines at sea. Keep up the good fight! I am proud to
represent you in the difficult, but important, Washington, DC
arena.
RADM Paul F. Sullivan,USN
Director, Submarine Warfare
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