rAfAel

US Marine Corps

A MANTAS T12 USV is deployed for training in waters off Bahrain. The USN has been developing the integration of manned and unmanned assets (such as USVs) at sea.

The exercise also demonstrated two firsts, Cdr Hawkins told AMR. “It marked the first time NAVCENT integrated USVs with manned assets at sea in the US Fifth Fleet AOR. New Horizon was also the first time for NAVCENT’s integration of USVs with manned assets at sea alongside partner forces.”

As regards lessons learned about the unmanned capabilities demonstrated in the exercise and the wider importance of integrating with partners, Cdr Hawkins added “Exercises like New Horizon enable us to begin building trust and confidence in the human/machine team prior to deploying the new assets on ‘real-world’ missions. Working with our regional partners on unmanned systems integration is crucial to enhancing collective MDA.”

In a USN social media post on 10 November that provided further details on New Horizon USN Commander Thomas McAndrew said “We envisage a combination of manned and unmanned systems that gives a much broader view of MDA from seabed to space, giving us a much better picture of what’s happening.” over two weeks starting in late January 2022, with more than 60 countries and international organisations involved. The first planning conference for the exercise took place back in August 2021, in Manama, Bahrain: such conferences are designed to identify requirements and develop training scenarios.

For IMX22, said Cdr Hawkins, “We will integrate manned and unmanned systems during operations at sea …. We will use more unmanned systems than ever before, in scenarios designed to put this technology to the test.” “We fully expect IMX22 to be the largest unmanned exercise in the world,” Cdr Hawkins added.

The growing global emphasis on the importance of exercising unmanned capabilities is underlined by the fact that NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) is conducting its inaugural Dynamic Messenger exercise – its first alliance-wide exercise activity dedicated to the collective development of unmanned capabilities – in 2022.

For IMX22, TF 59 will play a leading role in developing the exercise’s operational outputs. “TF 59 is spearheading US Fifth Fleet’s effort to partner with a number of countries expected to bring their unmanned systems to the exercise,” said Cdr Hawkins. In the exercise itself, “An IMX22 task force called Task Force X will be stood up to integrate and demonstrate the value of unmanned technology in operations alongside crewed ships,” Cdr Hawkins added.

Underlining the impact that unmanned capabilities employed by rogue actors can have on the interests of regional and extra-regional countries in a strategic region like the Gulf, IMX22 “is designed to demonstrate global resolve to maintain freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce throughout the region’s diverse maritime environment, and to build interoperability between partner nations and international organisations,” NAVCENT said, in a statement released at the planning conference.

“Modernising our fleets to harness these technologies will help us maintain our advantage at sea and secure regional trade routes,” Cdr Hawkins told AMR. AMR

On the horizon Beyond New Horizon, the next major exercise on the planning ‘plot’ for US Fifth Fleet to continue integrating TF 59 into regional operations will be the International Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMX22), which is scheduled to take place

USVs, like the MANTAS T12 pictured here, can be used in combination with unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to provide layered defence against, for example, swarm tactics.