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and ASW operations. Their objective is to deliver innovative More recently, we have seen the increased use of unmanned and ? eld-tested Science and Technology (S&T) solutions to autonomous vehicles (UAVs) for intelligence, surveillance address the defense and security needs of the Alliance. and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, mostly for visual con? r-

CMRE operates two research vessels that enable S&T solu- mation. However, the fully-? edged use of unmanned systems tions to be explored and developed at sea. The largest of these either as an organic or standalone capability for ASW is just vessels, the NATO research vssel Alliance, is an ice-capable beginning to emerge. One example is the ACTUV, a 40-meter global class vessel that is one of the world’s quietest ship, al- long-endurance unmanned ASW platform being developed by lowing for precision acoustic studies to be conducted in en- DARPA and ONR in the U.S.” vironments operationally relevant to NATO. The operational The ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) is experimentation being conducted from this platform has as its an unmanned vessel designed by the Defense Advanced Re- goal the development of cheaper, smarter solutions to give the search Projects Agency (DARPA). The state-of-the-art vessel nations a greater range of options in setting requirements for is built speci? cally to track quiet diesel-electric submarines, at future ASW capability.

Two of the CMRE’s most valuable assets are their sophis- ticated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), capable of operating with a degree of independent decision-making abili- ties. The CMRE is working to give the AUVs the capability to listen, to evaluate and to signal the presence of submarines to operators in the command and control center.

Like the increasingly used unmanned vehicles for air and land, AUVs can operate more and more ? exibly in the littoral and open oceans. And, as further systems are introduced into the mix, the way potential enemies have been used to working underwater will begin to be challenged.

LePage said, “ASW has for years relied on certain remote- controlled, monitored or unmanned sensor platforms, such as the sonobuoys deployed by Maritime Patrol Aircraft and

Helicopters, and permanent or deployable sensing arrays.

Deployment of OEX AUV on board NRV Alliance.

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