Photo By Richard Allen | The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport hosted the NATO Science and...... read more read more
NEWPORT, R.I. – The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport on Dec. 4 welcomed a delegation from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Science and Technology Organization (STO) Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in an effort to further solidify the relationship between the two organizations.
“Division Newport has a long and enduring relationship working with NATO, and I’m excited to continue this great collaboration,” Division Newport Technical Director Marie Bussiere said. “This visit allows CMRE to understand the full scope of what we do here, as well provide some progress updates on joint projects.”
Based in La Spezia, Italy, CMRE is a world-class scientific research facility dedicated to advancing maritime research and technology, as well as developing innovative solutions that enhance safety and address the defense needs of the NATO alliance. Founded in the late 1950s, CMRE is unique in operating NATO’s only research vessels, enabling it to conduct extensive experiments from the Mediterranean Sea to the Arctic Ocean.
“For how long we’ve been working in the undersea, Division Newport is the lab whom we have been working with the most,” CMRE Director Dr. Eric Pouliquen said. “Our undersea naval capabilities are where they are today thanks to this collaboration.”
Lt. Cmdr. Chad Carlson, executive officer for NATO STO- CMRE, and representatives from the organization’s six maritime programs of work joined Pouliquen on the visit. Representatives from Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific, NUWC Division Keyport and NUWC Headquarters also attended.
Organized by Division Newport’s Chief Technology Office, the visit was tailored around CMRE’s six focus areas, autonomy for anti-submarine warfare (ASW); autonomous naval mine countermeasures; environmental knowledge and operational effectiveness; data knowledge and operational effectiveness; maritime unmanned systems enablers (MUSE); and climate change and security.
“More so than ever, each program is not independent. If you look at the threat landscape, it is going to manifest itself in various ways. There’s a need for connectivity between all domains and that reciprocity is fundamental,” Pouliquen said. “The data you acquire may or may not be useful for you at the moment, but it could have a great impact for someone else and you might not know it. It’s about removing these compartments to foster greater interconnectivity.”
After overview briefings of Division Newport and CMRE, the discussion shifted to Division Newport’s science and technology (S&T) portfolio. Other topics addressed throughout the day included littoral continuous active sonar; cognitive sonar; NATO Standard Command and Control (STANAG 4817); NATO Joint Capability Group Maritime Unmanned Systems (JCGMUS) Digital Ocean; Cross Domain Command, Control, Communications; Testbed and Robotic Experimentation Program Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS).
“If you look at what we do, I like to highlight two key aspects of our portfolio,” Bussiere said. “We make naval technical programs successful, and we provide a bridge between the technical community and the warfighter. It’s all about the relationships.”
The group also toured the Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Laboratory and Narragansett Bay Test Facility, where they discussed the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in the Bahamas at it relates to NATO Naval Forces Sensor and Weapons Accuracy Check Sites (FORACS) and collaboration opportunities in the Arctic.
Dr. Lauren Freeman, a Division Newport senior oceanographer in the Ranges, Engineering, and Analysis Department, spoke with the group on the changing landscape of the Arctic environment. CMRE scientists Dr. Aniello Russo and Dr. Gaultier Real have been part of an Ocean Atmosphere Working Group that Freeman leads for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) under the International Cooperative Engagement for Polar Programs and Research (ICE PPR) Memorandum of Understanding. The working group is defining the experiments that will be conducted in the Arctic Ship-to-Shore experiment in 2026 with a demo in 2025, and potential further collaboration between NUWC/OSD-CMRE on Arctic ships of opportunity, data sharing and collaborative sea tests.
“We go to the Arctic every year and discover new things. We measure new noises, and we have seen a new phenomenon called young ice,” Pouliquen said. “The ice in the Arctic was very thick, but now you have this melting in the summer and then it freezes in the winter. It creates this young ice that has different sound properties where cracks and breaks create new and different noises.”
The visit was conducted thanks to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and NATO STO CMRE signed on Jan. 9, 2023. This is the first DoD-level agreement in decades that can support bilateral collaboration and is in effect until 2043. The Navy is the service that championed the agreement and is leading the relationship with CMRE. Dr. Vic Ricci, chief technology officer at NUWC Headquarters, is the U.S. Navy’s technical lead who is corresponding with Pouliquen about engagement discussions under the MOA.
“We have a long history working with SACLANTCEN, what is now CMRE,” Ricci said. “Reestablishing natural ties is beneficial in the maritime domain.”
Last year, a U.S. NRDE delegation from the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC), NIWC Pacific and NAVSEA warfare centers visited CMRE to understand their capabilities and strategic plans and met with their scientists to understand the programs of work. Numerous potential collaboration topics were identified.
The Dec. 4 visit to Division Newport was part of a reciprocal familiarization trip to U.S. Navy research and development establishments to continue this dialogue. The trip included stops at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock Division, ONR, Division Newport and NSWC Panama City Division, with participation from NIWC Pacific, CNMOC, Navy Postgraduate School and the Navy International Programs Office.
“There are lots of challenges out there in the world today,” Division Newport Commanding Officer Capt. Chad Hennings said, “and this partnership is one of the things that will help us get after them.”
NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.
Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site- https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport.
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2024 16:43 |
| Story ID: | 487263 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 91 |
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