Conference Day 1: Tuesday, 15 July 2025

BOLSTERING AUKUS AS THE LEADING GLOBAL NAVAL PARTNERSHIP

8:00 am - 8:55 am REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS

8:55 am - 9:00 am DEFENCE IQ WELCOME

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Dr. Craig Sawyer

Chairman, NATO Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems &
Deputy Director Strategic Assessment, US DoN

9:30 am - 10:00 am KEYNOTE ADDRESS: THE GEOSTRATEGIC, ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF AUKUS

Lord Walney - Vice-Chair, AUKUS All-Party Parliamentary Group

• Outline of progress made

• Collaboration to accelerate the development of a range of advanced capabilities

• Next steps to deliver the partnership’s potential


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Lord Walney

Vice-Chair
AUKUS All-Party Parliamentary Group

10:00 am - 10:30 am AUSTRALIAN INVESTMENT INTO UNCREWED NAVAL SYSTEMS (UNS)

Commodore Mick Turner - Director General, Maritime Integrated Capabilities, Royal Australian Navy

• Developing and deploying various UNS for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike

• Insights into the development and introduction of UNS to complement the Navy’s surface combatant fleet and conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines

• Collaborative programs to leverage shared expertise and resources to advance uncrewed naval technologies

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Commodore Mick Turner

Director General, Maritime Integrated Capabilities
Royal Australian Navy

10:30 am - 11:00 am MORNING COFFEE AND NETWORKING

11:00 am - 11:30 am LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE BLACK SEA CONFLICT – THE US PERSPECTIVE OF UNCREWED SYSTEMS AND STRATEGIC MARITIME TRENDS

Rear Admiral Michael Mattis - Commander, Task Force SIX SIX (CTF 66), US Navy

• Insights into Task Force SIX SIX

• The experimentation, development and operational integration of small unmanned surface vessels (sUSVs)

• Black Sea Conflict & Maritime Warfare - The Impact of UxS Strategic Maritime Trends

Rear Admiral Michael Mattis, Commander, Task Force SIX SIX (CTF 66), US Navy

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Rear Admiral Michael Mattis

Commander, Task Force SIX SIX (CTF 66)
US Navy

• Insights into the integration of autonomy into the naval fleet

• Case study examples

• Supporting innovation and development through NavyX

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Commodore Marcus Hember

Deputy Director Navy Capability Plans
Royal Navy

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Commodore Marcus Rose

Deputy Director Underwater Battlespace Capability, Develop Directorate
Royal Navy

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Commander Michael Hutchinson

Captain of XV Patrick Blackett, Head of Experimentation
Navy X

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Bill Biggs

System of Systems Architect, MHC programme
UK MoD

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm LUNCH AND NETWORKING BREAK

DATA INTEGRATION TO ENHANCE OPERATIONAL COORDINATION

• The Uncrewed Maritime Systems Framework

• The next generation of autonomous naval systems

• Collaboration with academic institutions, industry partners, and other defence organisations to drive innovation in uncrewed systems

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Captain Andy Berner

Commanding Officer, Office of Naval Research GLOBAL
US Navy

This dynamic panel brings together leading experts to explore how these advanced technologies are revolutionising maritime operations. From enhancing situational awareness to redefining naval

warfare, we will uncover the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead:

• What are the recent examples of Swarming operations in relation to the current and future threat context and what lessons have we observed from them?

• What is the potential for uncrewed-crewed teaming?

• How are AI and machine learning enhancing the capabilities of swarming uncrewed systems?

• How are we ensuring ethical decision-making and maintaining accountability for the actions taken in autonomous naval operations?

• What are the primary challenges coordinating interoperable coordinated UNS?

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Dr. Craig Sawyer

Chairman, NATO Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems &
Deputy Director Strategic Assessment, US DoN

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Nick Childs

Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Securiry
IISS

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm AFTERNOON TEA AND NETWORKING

UTILISING AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS FOR ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm STRATEGIC WARGAMING: ENHANCING DECISION- MAKING FOR NATO UNMANNED CONCEPTS

David Manley - Professor of Naval Architecture, University College London

• Wargaming Baltic Sentry

• Identifying Capability gaps and insights into UXV operations

• Outcomes from experimentation and implications for coordinated operations

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David Manley

Professor of Naval Architecture
University College London

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Dr. Craig Sawyer

Chairman, NATO Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems &
Deputy Director Strategic Assessment, US DoN