Extending that ‘Loving Feeling’ to Undersea Warfare
Frank Hoffman
November 3, 2021
The Hollywood blockbuster “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise was a potent recruiting advertisement for aviators. One of its most memorable scenes was of a chorus of pilots at the bar of an Officer’s Club singing “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” to a bemused Kelly McGillis. Back during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy activated a training school, the Fighter Weapons School, to regain the lost art of air-to-air combat and to ensure that its pilots remained among the elites of their profession. In the movie, the cocky egos of the student pilots stand out as they prepare for war in a demanding training program that honed their combat skills in a competitive setting. Known more commonly as the “Top Gun” course, it is considered a singular success in upping the performance of naval aviation. It is time to extend that “loving feeling” to submarine warfare — including, and perhaps especially, to the submarine forces of U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
Why Undersea Warfare
To succeed in the Pacific, the United States should expand on the initial move and establish a maritime center of excellence for undersea warfare where U.S. submariners can train in advanced undersea tactics alongside submariners from allies and partners. Submarine warfare is an area of naval competition where the United States presently holds an edge and where it should devote considerable effort to retain its comparative advantage. It is also an area that is capital intensive and where quality professional education and training can pay off.
https://warontherocks.com/2021/11/extending-that-loving-feeling/
