Naval applications of marine acoustics

Both communities have interests (or requirements) that can be described by the parameters of time and space. The science and technology of Marine Acoustics, dependent on specific investigators and their focus, is not limited in it's interest. Navies, on the other hand, have constrained requirements and most usually, constrained equipments/resources. While there is often coincidence of interest, there is also competition for National resources; the outcome can lead to frustration on all sides. An additional issue has to be recognized; if the Navy believes it has developed an operational advantage by exploiting a particular oceanic behavior, it will (and should) protect that information, which is counter to the needs of a scientist, whose metric for success is publication. Balancing those competing issues can be difficult. From the perspective of Naval needs (requirements), several examples of the juxtaposition of sonar characteristics and Naval Operations onto the "world" of Marine Acoustics will be given, with an emphasis on ocean physical properties.