NATO is at an early stage of developing a fleet of unmanned surface vessels to ensure the safety of critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas, according to French Navy Adm. Pierre Vandier, the alliance’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.
Vandier said in an interview with Defense News that the USV fleet will act similarly to closed-circuit TVs used to monitor activities in areas with high criminal activity rates.
“The technology is there to make this streetlighting with USVs,” he said. “The U.S. has enforced Task Force 59 in the Gulf for years, so everything is known and sold, so it is much more a matter of adoption than technology.”
According to the publication, the U.S. Navy’s Task Force 59 has successfully experimented with the concept. The unit is responsible for integrating unmanned systems and artificial intelligence in the service’s 5th Fleet area of operations. Since its launch in 2021, TF 59 has worked with over 23 unmanned systems.
When asked about the development timeframe, the NATO official pointed to a June 2025 launch date, coinciding with the NATO Summit in the Netherlands.
The alliance disclosed a similar initiative in May to protect energy pipelines, internet cable and other critical undersea infrastructure. It involved the launch of the Maritime Centre for Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure, a facility that would coordinate efforts between partners to secure the network.