At any given point in time, there are naval forces from countries around the world, both allies and competitors, training and conducting exercises. These are done for any number of reasons to include becoming more proficient in the art of naval warfare, posturing or sending a message to the world, or experimenting with new concepts and technologies to improve future capability. The U.S. Navy similarly conducts training and exercises for all the same reasons and, in some instances, has the opportunity to do so in collaboration with our partners and allies. Of particular interest to the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global is when those international experimentation opportunities revolve around technology development.
Aligning under ONR, whose mission is to plan, foster and encourage scientific research to maintain future naval power and preserve national security, ONR Global serves as the enduring Navy and Marine Corps global presence in technical and operational communities—investing in trusted partnerships to discover and connect science and technology leaders. The six departments within ONR Global (Science Advisors, Science Directors, Foreign Comparative Testing, TechSolutions, International Engagement, and Experimentation and Analysis) all support that common goal with one of the most effective tools for building trust and capability: international experimentation.
Through international experimentation, ONR Global builds trusted relationships, leverages collective genius and promotes interoperability between nations. This is not a new concept. The U.S. Navy has been conducting joint exercise for decades, and there are countless instances of joint experimentation. However, ONR Global Experimentation and Analysis maintains a constant focus on advanced technology development (6.3) experimentation, both domestic and internationally, in support of ONR and ONR Global missions.
ONR Global Experimentation and Analysis actively works to take late-stage technology development programs from the Naval Research Enterprise and conduct militarily relevant experimentation with Sailors and Marines. This often takes place in U.S.-only events, but there are situations that warrant international experimentation, whether it be the need to demonstrate interoperability, access to ranges and resources the U.S. may not have, or simply to strengthen relationship with our international partners.
Some of the larger international naval exercises, such as Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) or Talisman Saber, provided great opportunities for international experimentation. In 2021, ONR Global will take advantage of the forces and assets in the region of BALTOPS to experiment with emerging Mine Counter Measures (MCM) capabilities, from deep water to objective. ONR Global will also be inserting a number of capabilities into Australia’s Talisman Saber to demonstrate forward logistics sustainment using laser communications, unmanned systems and novel sensors.
In addition to taking advantage of larger multinational exercises, ONR Global Experimentation and Analysis also conducts stand-alone individual experimentation efforts with international partners. ONR Global is currently executing a long-range, high-bandwidth experiment effort with a technology developed at the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology in Poland, as well as a Cooperative Unmanned Vehicles in the Maritime Environment (CUV-ME) experiment with the University of Zagreb in Croatia.
On occasion, the opportunities arise to conduct much larger technology-focused experimentation efforts with our closest allies. In 2016, ONR participated in the Unmanned Warrior exercise off the coast of Scotland, which brought together over 50 unmanned systems from multiple nations to experiment with interoperability and also feed into the UK’s Joint Warrior fleet exercise. This spring, the UK is bringing their new carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, across the Atlantic to conduct joint experimentation with the U.S. Navy and ONR Global is working across the Naval Research and Development Establishment to bring emerging capabilities.
While international experimentation is great for exploring collaborative technology development, the most valuable aspect is building trusted relationships that will prove beneficial to the U.S. Navy and the U.S. at large long after the actual experiment concludes. In an August 2020 Proceedings article, Adm. James Stavridis, U.S. Navy (Retired), recollected how he strove to have a human interaction and to build personal trust with the leaders because, in times of crisis, you can surge forces, but you cannot surge trust. ONR Global is both maturing technology and building relationships, and we use those relationships not only in times of crisis, but continuously in order to maintain technological awareness and leverage all of the great minds outside our borders.
The title of Stavridis’s article was “You Can’t ‘Zoom’ Trust,” which is apropos in this day and age as we continue to work through the COVID-19 pandemic. While virtual connections are an OK way to maintain relationships, that is only possible because of prior face-to-face interactions—and that trust bank will dwindle over time. Just as true, if not more so, is that we can’t Zoom experimentation. The majority of experimentation involves people physically working on systems, integrating and interacting with the fleet and partners. 20120has greatly slowed experimentation with our international partners. However, as the nation and the world become more adept at operating in this environment, ONR Global will continue to promote and leverage opportunities for international experimentation. It will press on with its vision to be the partner of choice for science and technology leaders.
As globalization continues, the benefit and need for technology experimentation with international partners will continue to grow. It is generally recognized that the U.S. will likely have partners in any future conflict. Through experimentation, it is possible to lay the technological and relationship foundations, so when the time comes, the U.S. and its allies will have the best equipment to inter-operate across nations and never operate in a fair fight.