Sub standard.

• Author: Taylor, Jeff A.
• Position: Citings - Inefficient use of submarines - Brief Article

Strange as it is that the U.S.S. Greeneville, with an entire ocean at its disposal, could pick the exactly wrong spot to surface, what's truly unreal is the fact that the U.S. maintains a huge sub fleet for no discernible reason--at least until political realities are factored in.

First, it is not at all unusual for bands of civilians to get the full, thundering joyride treatment in Uncle Sam's war machines, a la the Greeneville's would-be charity golfers. After all, these "show the flag" missions generate good P.R., and good P.R. counts toward bigger budgets. In the Pacific fleet alone, more than 11,000 civilians took part in 238 trips aboard Navy ships.

Next, even though the threat of Soviet subs that could launch missiles just minutes from U.S. cities has disappeared, taking with it the Pentagon's rationale for spending billions building 60-odd attack subs, the military-industrial...