US, UK, Canadian Undersea Surveillance IUSS Official Site

The following is a continuing project that I’ll incrementally add to. The US Navy Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS) website https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/ intermittently disappears – so below is a (hopefully) lasting public record.

Only in the US does a highly sensitive IUSS have a public website shopfront. The website can be read from the Antarctica to Northern Fleet, Russia. Replacing the well known Cold War North Atlantic US, UK and BTW Canadian SOSUS system is the IUSS which is much more diverse in sensors and allies.

IUSS exists in the highly classified distributed Intranet of the US Navy. All major navies, like Russia’s and China’s, have their own IUSS. Smaller Western navies, or navies well disposed to the US, have varying degrees of access to the mainly US paid for and managed IUSS. The IUSS has as many mobile nodes as the fixed nodes that are easier to picture.

Western and allied submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, naval surface ships and some USNS ships are themselves mobile IUSS nodes. Also see https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2222990/ocean-surveillance-ships-t-agos/

Those mobile nodes with weapons, icluding land based anti-ship missiles and fixed and/or  mines weaponize the IUSS network.

It is a measure of IUSS’ distributed nature that it formally exists under Commander, Submarine Force, US Pacific Fleet. Yet its more immediate “Commander, Undersea Surveillance" https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/ , is based on the Atlantic facing US East coast at Bullpup Street Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.

I’ll run through the publicly available details of the IUSS.

About IUSS 

https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/About-IUSS/

Mission Statement

To support antisubmarine warfare command and tactical forces by detecting, classifying, and providing timely reporting of information on submarines and other contacts of interest; to provide command of Naval Ocean Processing Facilities (NOPFs), to include direct tactical control of associated Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS) ships; to gather long term acoustic, oceanographic, and hydrographic information.

Additional Information:

The Integrated Undersea Surveillance System mission is multi-faceted, encompassing not only the operations of detection, localization and tracking of submarines and the collection of acoustic and hydrographic information, but also the maintenance of processing and communications equipment necessary to carry out the operational mission. 

Since the inception of the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) in 1954, personnel stationed at Naval Facilities, Naval Ocean Processing Centers, Joint Sites, training commands and on the COMUNDERSEASURV Headquarters Staffs in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, have pursued the Undersea Warfare mission.

[Data certified UNCLASSIFIED by DoD/DoN and IUSS Authorities]”

See many details of the “Origins of SOSUS” at https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/About-IUSS/Origins-of-SOSUS/ up to 1954 – ending with:

“… In reflecting on the early years of SOSUS, what is most striking is how much was accomplished in remarkably short time. Certainly a major factor was serendipitous confluence of events – the discovery that low-frequency sounds could travel great distances in the ocean, the realization that submarines radiate identifiable low-frequency energy, and the pioneering work at Bell Laboratories on visual speech analysis. 

Ease of contracting was also an important element. The Navy’s resolve to conduct undersea surveillance was crucial. The commitment of WECo and Bell Laboratories and their decision to assign some of their best people to the project were of considerable consequence.

[Data certified UNCLASSIFIED by DoD/DoN and IUSS Authorities]”

Leadership 

https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/Leadership/

Captain Steven Faulk, “Commodore” 
https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/Leadership/Commodore/

Gregory Schmeiser, Deputy Commander https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/Leadership/Deputy-Commander/

CDR Craig Hempeck, Chief Staff Officer, https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/Leadership/Chief-Staff-Officer/

CMDCM(SS) Jeffrey Barnes, Command Master Chief https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/Leadership/Command-Master-Chief/

 

IUSS Commands [Typically larger Naval Bases host IUSS main oceanic "Command" bases (below) and US or allied (including Five Eye) Naval Bases host more minor regional IUSS bases that are off-shore of the continental US] 

https://www.csp.navy.mil/cus/IUSS-Commands/

Naval Ocean Processing Facility Dam Neck, Virginia USA, covers 

Atlantic Ocean Operations 

https://www.csp.navy.mil/nopfdn/  [also see  ]

Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) Dam Neck (DN) proudly boasts its mission, “To provide timely and accurate acoustic cueing to operating and supporting forces, and to conduct continuous maritime surveillance for homeland security 24/7/365.”

NOPF DN was commissioned in September 1979 and is a tenant command of Commander, Undersea Surveillance, a unit of Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. As one of the few remaining Integrated Undersea Surveillance (IUSS) facilities,

NOPF Dam Neck has become the premier Undersea Surveillance Site, conducting operations throughout the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic, and Norwegian Sea. In May 2009, NOPF Dam Neck officially became a Joint Combined Command welcoming the United Kingdom Detachment and an increased area of responsibility. This expansion also made NOPF DN the largest contingent of United Kingdom personnel in the United States. It is comprised of approximately 300 Enlisted, 20 Officers, and 7 civilians from the US Navy, UK Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Together, they are the cornerstone of the IUSS community.
 

Naval Ocean Processing Facility Whidbey Island, Washington State USA

covers Pacific and Indian Ocean Operations 

https://www.csp.navy.mil/nopfwi/About/  [Also see]

The mission of NOPF is to provide timely and accurate acoustic cueing to operating and supporting forces, and conduct continuous maritime surveillance for Homeland Security.

NOPF is divided into two major divisions that operate in the same facility- The shore side and the sea side (Sea Component West). The sea side consists of STG's that rotate out to the five SURTASS ships that operate under NOPF. The shore side has various rates that all support the operations watch floor in completing it's mission.

NOPF has approximately 325 enlisted personnel, 25 officers, a detachment of 30 Canadian forces personnel and 15 civilians. This is an excellent duty station which is located right off the water and near a beautiful cliff-side park. The parking is readily available and the building is the nicest on base. Leadership .

Canadian Detachment [at Whidbey Island]

https://www.csp.navy.mil/nopfwi/canadian-detachment/

Welcome to Naval Ocean Processing Facility Whidbey Island (NOPFWI). With your posting, you are about to join an exclusive bi-national team responsible for providing timely and accurate acoustic cueing to operating and supporting forces throughout the Pacific, and conduct continuous maritime surveillance for Homeland Security. I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to you on behalf of the Canadian Contingent.

NOPFWI is the pride of the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System; the workplace is modern and comfortable, and the equipment is state of the art. You can be assured that your tour in this new environment will be professionally challenging and personally rewarding.

As you may well be aware, the US Pacific Northwest is a beautiful part of the world in which to live. Oak Harbor is a pleasant community with most of the conveniences you should need. Vancouver and Seattle, each with their own attractions, are only two hours away. All this should combine to make your stay in the United States a full and enjoyable time. 

IUSS Operations Support Center (IOSC) Little Creek, Virginia USA

https://www.csp.navy.mil/SUBPAC-Commands/Support-Commands/Commander-Undersea-Surveillance/IUSS-Commands/IOSC-Little-Creek/

The IUSS Operations Support Center (IOSC), located on Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek in Norfolk VA, is responsible for all aspects of logistic and technical life support for world-wide IUSS in-service assets, including eleven SURTASS ships, [ https://www.dote.osd.mil/Portals/97/pub/reports/FY2012/navy/2012surtass.pdf?ver=2019-08-22-111611-643 ] three IUSS Fixed Sites. The IOSC provides array support to all Navy combatant ships. Additionally, the IOSC acts as the In-Service Engineering Agent (ISEA) for the IUSS program.

As ISEA, the IOSC manages and directs the support of contractors world-wide, acts as the liaison to field activities and laboratories, and provides configuration management, engineering change, technical documentation, preventative maintenance, RM & A, and Planning and Engineering for Repairs and Alterations (PERA) support.

Resident Navy commands within IOSC include, SPAWAR Systems Center, Charleston, SC (SSCC), Navy Array Technical Support Center (NATSC), and Military Sealift Command (MSC). There are also a variety of Contract Companies working at the IOSC.

[Tomorrow: How Australia might tie in with all this. Certainly our subs, ships and MPAs.]