• 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 International Naval Materiel Cooperation
Netherlands Ministry of Defence

See Bio

• Strategic overview of current investment priorities

• Collaboration with allied partners

• Current capability challenges

Rear Admiral Fabrizio Rutteri

Deputy Director
Italian Defence Staff - Joint Capability Directorate

See Bio

• Integrating uncrewed systems into existing fleet capabilities

• Balancing affordability, deliverability, and efficiency

• Insights from surface and submarine modernization projects REPMUS 2025

Lieutenant Commander Tiago Gomes

Directorate of Ships - PMO
Portuguese Navy

See Bio

• 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 Systems
Danish Ministry of Defence - Acquisitions and Logistics Organisation

See Bio

• Investment into USVs and UUVs

• Enhancing maritime domain surveillance

• Current capability gaps

• Investment into uncrewed systems to protect undersea infrastructure

• Current challenges

• Ambitions for the future

Lieutenant Commander Florin Constantinoiu

Head of Innovation and Research
Romanian Navy

See Bio

ROUNDTABLE 1: AUTONOMY, AI, AND DECISION-MAKING

The evolving role of autonomy and AI in naval warfare

Moderated by Dr. Craig Sawyer, Chairman, NATO Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems & Deputy Director Strategic Assessment, US DoN

Discussion Points:

·       What levels of autonomy are currently feasible and desirable in UxS?

·       How can AI be trusted in high stakes maritime environments?

·       What are the ethical and legal implications of autonomous decision-making?

·       How do we ensure transparency and accountability in AI-driven systems?

ROUND TABLE 2: SECURITY, RESILIENCE, AND COUNTERMEASURES

Protecting and defending uncrewed systems in contested environments

Moderated by Senetas

Discussion Points:

·       What are the primary vulnerabilities of UxS to cyber, electronic, and physical threats?

·       How can navies build resilience into UxS platforms and networks?

·       What counter UxS strategies are emerging, and how should navies respond?

·       How do we balance stealth, survivability, and cost in UxS design?

·       Role of deception and decoys in UxS operations

ROUND TABLE 3: ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE (ASW) AND THE SUBSURFACE THREAT LANDSCAPE

Responding to the growing undersea threat with uncrewed and distributed systems

Moderated by Thales

Discussion Points:

·       How do you coordinate your assets, and how do you ensure interoperability with other nations?

·       How are adversaries enhancing their submarine stealth and capabilities? 

·       What role can UxS play in distributed ASW across vast ocean areas? 

·       How do autonomous platforms (e.g. USVs, UUVs, UAVs) contribute to persistent undersea surveillance?

·       What are the implications of GPS-denied environments and cyber threats on ASW operations? 

ROUND TABLE 4: LOGISTICS, SUSTAINMENT, AND INDUSTRIAL BASE

Building and maintaining a sustainable UxS ecosystem

Moderated by Nick Childs, Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security, The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)

Discussion Points:

·       What are the logistical and maintenance challenges of UxS fleets?

·       How can navies ensure secure and resilient supply chains for critical components?

·       What role should commercial industry and startups play in UxS innovation?

·       How do we scale production while maintaining quality and adaptability?

·       What infrastructure and training is needed to support long-term UxS operations?

• 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

See Bio

Captain Ali Ashour FRINA, FIES, FIMarEST

Researcher UoS PDRC & Senior Engineering Officer
MOI-KCG – State of Kuwait

See Bio