SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATION CENTRE FOR MARITIME RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION

Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10 April 2013

Submarine Officers from the Italian in Visit the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation

The long-standing collaboration between the two establishments leads to a series of lectures on cutting-edge scientific innovation in the field of antisubmarine warfare (ASW). The Italian CSSN (Naval Support and Experimentation Centre) is cooperating in the project.

A group of student officers from the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno visited the San Bartolomeo compound where the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) is located. The focus of today’s visit was to deepen practical knowledge in the most recent cutting-edge scientific innovations in the maritime domain.

Undergraduate students in the Maritime and Naval Sciences degree course, attending the Naval Academy’s technical lectures on anti-submarine warfare and torpedoes (Abilitazione AST) and the graduate officers attending the Naval Academy’s specialization course on submarines (SMG), met scientists from CMRE and visited the research centre’s engineering laboratories. The agenda focused on advanced projects in Autonomous Naval Mine Countermeasures, Environmental Knowledge and Operational Effectiveness, and Maritime Security and Harbour Protection.

The group, led by two teaching officers, also visited the Naval Support and Experimentation Centre (CSSN) of the Italian Navy, which hosts CMRE in the same military compound, to meet their experts on battle systems for anti-submarine warfare (2° Reparto Sistema di Combattimento - 5a Divisione “Lotta sotto la Su- perficie”).

The initiative is part of a broader educational project built on the successful long-time collaboration between CMRE and Italian Naval Academy in Livorno. This year’s edition will also include a set of lectures at the Naval Academy on: operations research (asset path planning, decision support, sonar performance modelling), the use of underwater robotic vehicles in anti-submarine warfare, the CMRE multi-static tactical planning aid software and communications and networks in the maritime environment.

“Working with the Naval Academy is extremely useful and inspiring” - says Robert Been, CMRE scientist in charge for the initiative – “This collaboration represents an opportunity for the CMRE scientists to interact with the young professionals who will be the ones operating with ASW technologies in the next future”.

About CMRE. The STO-CMRE (Science and Technology Organization – Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation) is located in La Spezia, Italy. Formerly NATO Undersea Research Centre (NURC), the Centre focuses on research, innovation and technology in areas such as defence of maritime forces and installations against terrorism and piracy, secure networks, development of the common operational picture, the maritime component of expeditionary operations, mine countermeasures systems, non-lethal protection for ports and harbours, anti-submarine warfare and marine mammal risk mitigation. CMRE operates two ships, NATO Research Vessel Alliance, a 93-meter 3,180-ton open -ocean research vessel, and Coastal Research Vessel Leonardo, a smaller ship designed for coastal operations. In addition to its laboratories the Centre is equipped with a fleet of autonomous underwater and surface vehicles and a world-class inventory of seagoing sensors.

CMRE PAO: [email protected] - +39.3357809721

Viale San Bartolomeo, 400 – 19126 La Spezia – Italy Tel: +39 0187 5271 - Fax: +39 0187 527 700 - E-Mail: [email protected]