In the mid-1990s, the US Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) released a series of unclassified reports that sought to highlight the threat to the US Navy (USN) and its allies posed by the continued development and proliferation of advanced weapon systems and maritime platforms. One such document entitled 'Worldwide Submarine Challenges' - first published in 1996 and updated in the following year - was a glossy, 30-page dossier reviewing trends in the development and proliferation of advanced submarine technology, and identifying how these would test or challenge the USN's anti-submarine capabilities.rnWhile intended as a way to send a clear message to the US Congress about the necessity of continued investment in the United States submarine force, 'World Submarine Challenges' also offered the most revealing intelligence and analysis available to the media. Russia loomed large, being assessed as the qualitative "technological pacing challenge" against which US capabilities should be measured on the groundsrnof its submarine capability, operating patterns, and the proficiency of engineering and industrial complex. The spotlight also fell on so-called 'countries of concern', with Iran and North Korea picked out for specific scrutiny.
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