Navy's Strategic Communications System

A review was made of the strategic communications systems for the Department of the Navy. The Navy effectively communicates with its strategic submarines nearly 100 percent of the time, indicating that current peacetime systems are reliable. In wartime, however, the TACAMO communications system would be the only reliable means of communicating to submarines, and the Navy has allowed the TACAMO fleet to decline. The Navy advocates the development of an extremely low frequency (ELF) communications system that would penetrate ocean waters and eliminate the need for antennas on or near the surface, thus allowing the submarine to remain in deep waters. GAO does not share the Navy's belief in the need for the development of an ELF system because: strategic submarines are survivable now; submarine antennas do not endanger strategic submarines; and the capability of an ELF system is questionable.