Sunday, April 19, 2015

Japan’s Ocean Surveillance of Chinese Submarines

All 162 pages of the book "The Tools of Owatatsumi: Japan’s Ocean Surveillance and Coastal Defence Capabilities" (Desmond Ball and Richard Tanter, ANU Press, 2015), are available free on-line. The book details the undersea and electronic intelligence systems run by Japan and the USA to detect Chinese military activities, particularly submarines. The authors suggest that wile effective this network is vulnerable to attack, leading to possible military escalation and use of nuclear weapons.

However, what the authors do not discuss is ways in which surveillance networks can be made less vulnerable with technological developments. Japan's manned coastal surveillance stations are, by their nature, prominently located along the coast and so vulnerable to attack. However, electronic surveillance can now be undertaken by miniaturized equipment operated by remote control, making it far less visible and vulnerable.
Table of Contents for The Tools of Owatatsumi:
  1. Introduction
  2. Post-Cold War Intrusions into Japanese Waters
  3. The JMSDF’s Ocean Surveillance Architecture
  4. The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF)
  5. The Organisation of the JMSDF: The High Command, Fleet Bases and Regional Districts
  6. Japanese Undersea Surveillance Systems, 1920–45
  7. Technical Developments since 1945
  8. US SOSUS Stations
  9. JMSDF ELINT/Undersea Surveillance Stations
  10. Airborne Ocean Surveillance
  11. JMSDF SIGINT Collection and Ocean Surveillance Ships
  12. The US Ocean Surveillance Information System (OSIS)
  13. The Maritime Safety Agency (MSA)/ Japan Coast Guard (JCG)
  14. Assessment of Japan’s Ocean Surveillance Capabilities
From: Ball, Desmond & Tanter, Richard, (author.) (2015). The tools of Owatatsumi : Japan's ocean surveillance and coastal defence capabilities. Canberra ACT ANU Press. Retrieved from http://press.anu.edu.au/titles/the-tools-of-owatatsumi/

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