The Role of Blue/Green Laser Systems in Strategic Submarine Communications

A continuing interest exists in the Department of Defense to stress technology wherever it may result in the improvement of a military system. One important area where this is currently occurring is in laser communications. Specifically, an extensive effort is underway to exploit the "Blue/Green" transmission window in the ocean and develop a strategic laser communication system operating between an orbiting satellite and a submerged submarine. In this paper we discuss some of the operational motivations for such a system together with a generic system design.