First I think there will be a big role for submarines, because not only are they stealthy, but the water acts as a lot of free armor for them.
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Originally Posted by Anthony
That depends on what you think a navy is for. If you think it's for fighting other ships, sure. If the point of a navy is to be a mobile forward base for air, amphibious, and/or ground assets, it's going to be a slightly more durable freighter, and will operate on the surface....
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I think this is perhaps the most important question. What is the role for a TL10 navy. Traditionally, a navie's job has been to protect sea traffic, attack enemies sea traffic, attack land targets, and show the flag in distant colonial regions.. At TL 10, additional roles of attacking/defending undersea settlements might be added.
One needs to ask how many of those missions at TL 10 will be done by a wet navy, and how many will be done by air/space forces. It is easy to imagine a TL 10 setting where space based assets can target and attack surface ships, land targets, and possibly even submersible craft. Also, show the flag type duties would be reduced in worlds with rapid telecommunication and fast air travel. In such a setting a navy would have a very different job.
I am thinking of a large role for naval craft as floating mobile anti-air facilities. As listed above, another role would be for mobile bases as listed above. You could have a submarine with a blue-green laser strong enough to attack orbital targets and/or a hanger full of aerospace fighters. Bonus points if the aerospace fighters can be launched without surfacing. Its job would be to keep hidden until a conflict broke out and then attack orbital assets.