Unmanned Systems, AI Used In Bilateral Naval Exercise
by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs
October 19, 2022
Naval forces from the United States and
United Kingdom conducted a bilateral exercise in the Arabian Gulf in
October 2022, which featured the use of unmanned systems and
artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance maritime monitoring by
crewed ships and operators ashore.
The one-day exercise,
called Phantom Scope, occurred in international waters off the coast
of Bahrain with forces from U.S. 5th Fleet and the UK Royal Navy.
Three Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessels (USVs)
participated alongside guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black
(DDG 119), fast response cutter USCGC Robert Goldman (WPC 1142) and
Royal Navy mine countermeasures vessels HMS Chiddingfold (M37) and HMS Bangor
(M109).
“Putting more eyes out on the water enhances our
picture of the surrounding seas and enables us to position our
crewed ships to react more rapidly,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper,
commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. 5th Fleet and
Combined Maritime Forces.
During the exercise, unmanned and
artificial intelligence systems operated in conjunction with crewed
ships and naval command centers ashore in Bahrain. Sensors from
unmanned vessels were able to locate and identify training aides in
the water and relay visual depictions to the command centers.
October 7, 2022 - Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessels (USV) operate with USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), HMS Bangor (M109), HMS Chiddingfold (M37) and USCGC Robert Goldman (WPC 1142) in the Arabian Gulf during exercise Phantom Scope. During the bilateral exercise between the United States and United Kingdom, USVs operated in conjunction with crewed ships and naval command centers ashore in Bahrain. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Roland Franklin)
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“Whenever we work in the maritime environment, particularly when
working alongside international partners, it is critical we have
relevant maritime domain awareness,” said Royal Navy Commodore
Adrian Fryer, commander of UK’s maritime component based in the
Middle East.
“Alongside the more traditional methods,
uncrewed systems are an essential tool, and the future, in building
this understanding, the picture they provide can enhance the
security and stability of the maritime environment,” Fryer added.
U.S. 5th Fleet established an unmanned systems and artificial
intelligence task force in September 2021 to integrate new
technologies into U.S. Navy operations across the Middle East.
In the past 12 months, Task Force 59 has amassed more than
25,000 hours of experience integrating new unmanned systems and
artificial intelligence. The task force has also established
operating hubs in Bahrain and Aqaba, Jordan in close cooperation
with regional partners.
“We have already achieved more today
than many might have imagined possible when we started,” said
Cooper. “Our goal is a distributed and integrated network of systems
operated with our partners to significantly expand how far we can
see.”
U.S. 5th Fleet’s operating area includes the Arabian
Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, 21 countries
and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Bab
al-Mandeb and Suez Canal.
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