Page 20: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2023)

EYE ON THE NAVY

NATO GAINS EXPERIENCE

WITH UNMANNED SYSTEMS

All photos courtesy NATO

By Edward Lundquist allies and partners have taken Messenger is in its second year. Both are conducted at the Navy advantage of recent demon- Operational Experimentation Centre in Tróia, one of two Por-

NATO strations and exercises to ex- tuguese Defense innovation centers under the NATO “Defence periment and train with maritime unmanned systems that op- Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic” (DIANA).

erate on, above and under the sea. The two events helped improve the ability of autonomous

Led by host-nation Portugal, the REPMUS 23 (Robotic underwater vehicles to operate together and be integrated into

Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned task group and task force operations, as well as address per-

Systems) took place between September 11 to 22 to focus sonnel, training and readiness issues.

on capability development and interoperability. REPMUS 23 Allied Command Transformation and Allied Maritime Com- segued into by the NATO-led exercise Dynamic Messenger mand executed “several operational experiments to explore 23, which focused on integrating Maritime Unmanned Sys- and implement its multi-domain operations concept and derive tems into operations. Both took place in and around the Por- observations, analysis, and lessons learned that can feed the tuguese Navy’s base on the Troia Peninsula. development of the Alliance’s tactics, techniques, and proce-

Fifteen NATO nations participated in this year’s exercise, dures in the use of maritime unmanned systems,” according to which was conducted between Sept. 18-29, along with part- a NATO statement. “Warfare areas that will employ maritime ners Ireland and Sweden. The exercise was co-organized by unmanned systems in experiments include the protection of the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation undersea infrastructure, naval mine warfare, maritime security (CMRE) in La Spezia, Italy, the University of Porto’s Labo- operations, force protection, underwater warfare, amphibious ratory for Underwater Systems and Technology (LSTS), and operations, and medical and logistical operations.”

NATO’s Maritime Unmanned Systems Initiative (MUSI). According to NATO, “both REPMUS 23 and Dynamic Mes-

Dynamic Messenger 23 brought together more than 2,000 senger 23 have developed signi? cant partnerships between the civilian and military personnel--both ashore and at sea--from private sector and academia, and provide guidance for tech- 14 NATO Allies, including the host nation Portugal, plus part- nology advancements, operational concepts, doctrine, and fu- ner nation Sweden. The exercise is conducted under the joint ture work programs.” leadership of NATO’s Allied Command Transformation in “Alongside a commitment to digital transformation, Dynam-

Norfolk, Va., and NATO’s Allied Maritime Command MAR- ic Messenger 2023 contributes to NATO’s efforts to become

COM in Northwood, UK. a Multi-Domain Operations-enabled Alliance. The exercise is

REPMUS has been conducted since 2019, while Dynamic a venue which allows for consultation and collaboration with 20 November/December 2023

MTR #8 (18-33).indd 20 11/28/2023 10:45:38 AM