Early SOSUS coverage was divided into reporting areas, each of which saw only part of the submarine picture. Those seams created opportunities to pass between sectors and made coordination harder. Looking back from 2023, a fully shared picture depended on more recent technology and on rebuilding fragmented parts of the surveillance network to a common standard. With that information available at multiple command posts, neighbouring commanders could send the closer task group against a contact and arrange support across their boundary. Sensors, communications, and enough forces to pursue contacts all contribute to an effective barrier.
Notable Point · 1:01:13-1:05:17
Turning SOSUS contacts into a shared operating picture
The value of an undersea sensor barrier depends on combining local reports into a picture that commanders can share across sector boundaries.