The annual Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) exhibition and technical conference comes to ExCel London between 9 and 11 April 2024. Headlined as ‘The largest global event dedicated to undersea defence technology’ and now in its 35th year, UDT is firmly established as a leading learning, networking and business development opportunity for companies and professionals active in the underwater domain. ESD took the opportunity to interview Adrian Pierce, naval advisor for the exhibition’s organiser, Clarion Events, in advance of the show.
ESD: The importance of securing the underwater domain is becoming an increased area of focus for navies across the globe. Could you provide your assessment of the strategic factors driving this renewed emphasis that forms the backdrop to UDT 2024?
Pierce: It is clear that the importance of defence is moving up the political agenda and, inevitably, the significance of the underwater domain is increasing in line with this. What we are witnessing now is a more complex geopolitical environment in which there are multiple regions of maritime instability, stretching from the Baltic to the Red Sea and as far east as the Taiwan Strait. This situation was already an important backdrop to UDT 2023, held in Rostock last year, but events of the past 12 months have only served to reinforce the challenges faced.
Looking more specifically at the underwater domain, it is probably fair to say that it remains a distant and poorly understood environment to the average person in the street. At the same time, however, there is a growing awareness of the criticality of underwater infrastructure such as pipelines and submarine cables to our everyday activities, as well as their potential vulnerability to hostile acts. This, in turn, is driving the political imperative to invest in the technology and skills that are needed to defend these key undersea assets.
ESD: The three keynote panel discussions at UDT each examine a different subject (workforce development; autonomy; and the AUKUS programme). Can you say a little about these varied topics and what might participants hope to learn from the discussions?
Pierce: The keynote panel on UDT’s opening day is entitled ‘Challenges and requirements of the next generation workforce’ and is preceded by an address by Rear Admiral Terry Jude OBE: the Royal Navy’s Director, People and Training. The discussion is being run in association with our ‘sister’ IT²EC 2024 training and technology exhibition, which is being held at ExCel at the same time, and Rear Admiral Terry will be joined for the panel discussion by Air Vice-Marshal Simon Edwards, Director, People, Royal Air Force; and Brigadier Andy Cox MBE, Chief of Staff, Home Command, British Army. It is clear that the growing importance of the underwater domain will be associated with an increased demand for people – and for people with the appropriate skills. The acquisition, development and retention of a well-trained workforce will therefore be an essential requirement; our panel discussion will hopefully provide some important pointers as to how this might be achieved.
Conversely, the keynote panel on Day 2 will focus on autonomy and, more specifically, the Royal Navy’s efforts to transition towards a networked, autonomous underwater force. The opening keynote address will be by Rear Admiral James Parkin CBE, Director Develop at the Royal Navy and will be followed by a panel discussion involving representatives from the UK Ministry of Defence, associated government agencies and industry. Although driven by the Royal Navy’s experience, our intention is that the discussion will also be informed by NATO initiatives around the importance of underwater networks, thereby broadening its relevance.
Our concluding day will encompass two keynote panel discussions based around the Australia-UK-America AUKUS defence partnership. The opening panel is entitled ‘AUKUS Pillar 1: Securing the Indo-Pacific with nuclear submarines’ and will concentrate on the AUKUS submarine programme. This will be followed by a further panel, ‘AUKUS Pillar 2: Fostering international collaboration with the supply chain for future advanced capabilities’, that encompasses a broader range of cutting-edge technologies with relevance to the underwater domain. This panel includes lead participants from all three partner countries. However, it’s important for me to mention that the panel has relevance beyond the tri-national partnership, as there will inevitably be opportunities for other countries to offer their own skills and knowledge to the programme.
ESD: Beyond the keynote sessions, what are the other main themes that will influence UDT this year?
Pierce: UDT 2024 is certainly about much more than the keynote discussions, although these will serve to illustrate many of the current themes influencing the underwater domain. The conference is actually being structured around six main focus areas that we consider of particular relevance, namely:
- AI and data: navigating the potential of AI and data in the underwater domain;
- Mine countermeasures and diving: addressing advanced technologies and strategies related to mine detection, sweeping, and diving operations;
- Platforms: providing a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in underwater vehicle technology;
- Sonar and communications: exploring advances in underwater acoustic technologies and communication systems;
- Uncrewed and autonomous operations: exploring the role of autonomy as a force multiplier in extending the undersea battlespace;
- Underwater effectors: delving into both the offensive and defensive capabilities of underwater tools.
In addition, another significant influence is the international dimension and, in particular, the potential for international collaboration in undersea defence. In this regard it’s also important to mention our wide range of exhibitors from across the world presenting the latest developments from across the undersea defence technology spectrum. There is definitely something for everybody with a professional interest in the underwater domain, whether this is in a more traditional area such as diver safety or a more recent discipline such as undersea data management.
ESD: An area of ongoing interest is the maritime aspect of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. How will UDT address the lessons being learned from this conflict in the underwater sphere?
Pierce: I think that this is an area where our knowledge is still evolving. To date, it seems that much of Ukraine’s success against the Russian Black Sea Fleet has been based on autonomous surface vessels, as well as more conventional means such as missile strikes. However, if you consider analogous areas – the example of the shift in some narcotics trafficking from surface vessels to semi-submersibles is a good example – it is possible to speculate on the likely direction of travel. Certainly, open-source information suggests Ukraine is examining the potential, at least, of semi-submersible vessels, although there might be technological challenges that they would need to overcome. So, whilst many of the themes I previously mentioned certainly have relevance to the conflict in the Black Sea, it is probably still too early to talk about significant lessons learned.
ESD: Finally, a new event at UDT this year is the submarine racing series at the Disruptive Technology (DisTech) theatre. Can you say a little more about this programme and its relevance to the wider exhibition?
Pierce: The DisTech theatre is intended to drive the innovative aspect of UDT by encouraging participants from outside of the mainstream defence industry to display non-traditional products and solutions that might have utility in undersea defence. For example, there are obviously technologies from sectors such as the communications and oil and gas industries that might have dual-use applications for the defence sector.
The new submarine racing event is aligned with this focus on innovation, encouraging collaborative teams from industry, academia and the like to design and construct small, human-powered racing submarines in a time-limited environment. A particular objective is to encourage younger people with backgrounds in disciplines such as marine science and engineering to engage more closely with undersea technologies, also allowing them to gain practical experience to bolster their academic studies. Of course, this aim also has relevance to the focus on developing the next-generation workforce, which is one of our keynote panel discussions.
Questions were asked by Conrad Waters, Joint Editor-in-Chief of ESD sister publication Maritime Defence Monitor.
