The authorsvintage British submarinersinsist that there's no area of geostrategic decision-making in which it is more vitally urgent "to determine the facts and discard the abundant fictions" than in underwater warfare. Such is their aim in this wide-ranging and authoritative study, which takes a close look at underwater weaponry and defenses, their present and potential capabilities, and their probable employment in time of war. Moore and Compton-Hall clarify the comparative vulnerability of the land and sea components of the U.S. nuclear triad, as opposed to the U.S. submarine fleet, which they point out is by far "the most dependable and convincing leg" of that triad. Further, they consider "unassailable" arguments in favor of the U.S. Navy's role as a force maintaining the nuclear balance for the entire free world.
