INTEGRATING UNCREWED & AUTONOMOUS
SYSTEMS INTO MODERN NAVAL FLEETS
SYSTEMS INTO MODERN NAVAL FLEETS
15-16 July, 2025| Copthorne Tara Hotel, Kensington, London, UK
Conference Day 2: Wednesday, 16 July 2025
AUTONOMOUS MISSIONS ALIGNING WITH THE EVOLVING THREAT CONTEXT
8:00 am - 8:50 am
REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
8:50 am - 9:00 am
CHAIRMAN'S OPENING REMARKS
Dr. Craig Sawyer -
Chairman, NATO Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems &,
Deputy Director Strategic Assessment, US DoN
Dr. Craig Sawyer
Chairman, NATO Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems &Deputy Director Strategic Assessment, US DoN
9:00 am - 9:30 am
ENHANCING NAVAL CAPABILTIES THROUGH UNCREWED SYSTEMS
Rear Admiral Paul Flos -
Program Director of International Naval Materiel Cooperation,
Netherlands Ministry of Defence
• Update on the Programme for the Protection of North Sea Infrastructure (PBNI)
• Advancing MCM capabilities through unmanned and autonomous systems
• Where next? 3-5 year investments in line with the evolving threat environment
Rear Admiral Paul Flos
Program Director of International Naval Materiel CooperationNetherlands Ministry of Defence
9:30 am - 10:00 am
ITALIAN DEFENCE PERSPECTIVE FOR THE PROTECTION OF CRITICAL UNDERSEA INFRASTRUCTURES
Rear Admiral Fabrizio Rutteri -
Deputy Director,
Italian Defence Staff - Joint Capability Directorate
• Strategic overview of current investment priorities
• Collaboration with allied partners
• Current capability challenges
Rear Admiral Fabrizio Rutteri
Deputy DirectorItalian Defence Staff - Joint Capability Directorate
10:00 am - 10:30 am
PORTUGUESE NAVY’S ROADMAP TO UNCREWED NAVAL SYSTEMS AND REPMUS 2025
Lieutenant Commander Tiago Gomes -
Directorate of Ships - PMO,
Portuguese Navy
• Integrating uncrewed systems into existing fleet capabilities
• Balancing affordability, deliverability, and efficiency
• Insights from surface and submarine modernization projects REPMUS 2025
10:30 am - 11:00 am
MORNING COFFEE AND NETWORKING
BOLSTERING THE PROTECTION OF CRITICAL UNDERWATER INFRASTRUCTURE
11:00 am - 11:30 am
INSIGHTS INTO THE DANISH DEVELOPMENT OF THE SAILDRONE PROGRAMME
Ane Todbjerg Sønderstrup -
Head of Section, Maritime Drones and Autonomous Systems,
Danish Ministry of Defence - Acquisitions and Logistics Organisation
• Experience from the recent deployment of the Saildrone Voyager in the Baltic and North Seas
• Utilising AI-driven sensors for persistent, low-emission surveillance to monitor critical undersea assets like pipelines and cables
• Current challenges and capability gaps
Ane Todbjerg Sønderstrup
Head of Section, Maritime Drones and Autonomous SystemsDanish Ministry of Defence - Acquisitions and Logistics Organisation
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
THE MODERNISATION OF HELLENIC NAVAL CAPABILITIES
• Investment into USVs and UUVs
• Enhancing maritime domain surveillance
• Current capability gaps
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENTS TO MODERNISE THE AUTONOMOUS ROMANIAN NAVAL FLEET
Lieutenant Commander Florin Constantinoiu -
Head of Innovation and Research,
Romanian Navy
• Investment into uncrewed systems to protect undersea infrastructure
• Current challenges
• Ambitions for the future
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
LUNCH AND NETWORKING BREAK
DATA INTEGRATION TO MAKE BETTER INFORMED AND EFFICIENT DECISION-MAKING
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
INDUSTRY LEADERS PANEL DISCUSSION: OBSERVATIONS FROM TODAY’S GEOPOLITICAL THREAT CONTEXT, WHICH TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS ARE NEEDED
Join us for an enlightening panel discussion featuring industry leaders at the forefront of autonomous naval technology. This session will delve into the latest advancements aimed at accelerating
data informed decision-making across allied forces. Our expert panellists will explore the current geopolitical threat and how cutting-edge technologies are revolutionising and neutralising the
naval landscape. We will discuss:
• Platforms
• The current and evolving threat context
• The changing nature of naval conflict and the impact of this on requirements setting
• Efficient C2 infrastructure to make decision based on real time data
• Current challenges in technological development
• Cybersecurity when increasingly reliant on data
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
AFTERNOON TEA AND NETWORKING
TESTING, RESEARCH AND EVALUATION NEEDED TO PROPEL TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION IN LINE WITH DEMAND
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
ACADEMIC INSIGHTS: OPERATIONALISING DIGITAL TWIN DATA FOR TACTICAL UNCREWED NAVAL ASSETS
Professor Erkan Oterkus -
Director of The PeriDynamics Research Centre (PDRC),
Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering, University of Stra
Captain Ali Ashour FRINA, FIES, FIMarEST - Researcher UoS PDRC & Senior Engineering Officer, MOI-KCG – State of Kuwait
• Empirical and theoretical validation of digital twin models for uncrewed naval systems (UNS)
• Predictive threat vector analytics: Enhancing tactical adaptability in uncrewed naval in real time operations
• A Kuwaiti researcher’s perspective: Aligning academia, industry, and fleet modernisation for UNS
Professor Erkan Oterkus
Director of The PeriDynamics Research Centre (PDRC)Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering, University of Stra
Captain Ali Ashour FRINA, FIES, FIMarEST
Researcher UoS PDRC & Senior Engineering OfficerMOI-KCG – State of Kuwait
3:30 pm - 3:35 pm
CHAIRMAN'S CLOSING REMARKS AND END OF CONFERENCE
Dr. Craig Sawyer -
Chairman, NATO Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems &,
Deputy Director Strategic Assessment, US DoN
Dr. Craig Sawyer
Chairman, NATO Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems &Deputy Director Strategic Assessment, US DoN
