For the past six months, the Navy has been studying the integration of uncrewed systems in a program out of Naval Forces Europe-Africa.
Task Force 66, established in November, is similar to Task Force 59 in Central Command or Southern Command’s hybrid force, Rear Adm. Michael Mattis told USNI News last week. The task force is made up of 40 civilian and military personnel, according to a Navy release announcing the creation.
What makes Task Force 66 different is the unique challenges of its area of responsibility, as well as its work with partners, Mattis said.
Unlike the Indo-Pacific, the Europe-Africa area of response includes smaller bodies of water like the Mediterranean or the Gulf of Guinea. But they each come with their own sea state challenges or contains added by shipping lanes.
In May, the task force launched a pilot program focused on maritime domain awareness using the Ocean Aero Triton platform, he said. That pilot is now being operated in Portugal.
The task force also tested the Triton surface/subsurface drone from aboard USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4) during the Obangame Express exercise off of the coast of Gabon, according to the Navy release.
The Triton is an autonomous underwater and surface vehicle (AUSV) that is able to sail autonomously for three months on solar power, according to Ocean Aero. It can also spend five days underwater. It can be launched from a ship or from shore and requires up to two people for recovery.
As an example, the task force needs to work within the tidal flows of the Gulf of Guinea, Mattis said. He also pointed to an estuary where they tested an uncrewed system. Due to the tidal inflow being equal to the uncrewed system’s maximum speed, the uncrewed system did not perform well.
“So it was a very enlightening operational constraint that we now better understand, because of our operations there,” Mattis said. “Again, just trying to stay still in the tidal inflow, draining our battery is not really where we want to be with some of these unmanned surface vessels.”
Hot temperatures are also another feature of the waters around Africa. There are caustic water environments, leading to growths on the systems or corrosion.
“We get the salt water, we get the corrosion, all of those things test to the extremes of these vehicles,” Mattis said.
On the other end, the Europe-Africa area of response also includes the cold waters of the Baltic and North seas, providing other testing grounds, he said.
When it comes to working with partners, the goal of Task Force 66 is not to show off the most exquisite American technology, Mattis said. Instead, it is to find ways to work with partner nations where they are. This applies to both African partners as well as one in NATO.
One concern is making sure the technology is not too expensive for partners, Mattis said. The task force is focused on shareability so partners are able to use the unmanned technology within their own systems.
This applies to partners in both the Africa and Europe areas of response, he said. With Europe, there is a focus on working with NATO, Mattis said, highlighting the work being done in Portugal. Some of the goals with the work with NATO is to create broader interoperability, as well as to establish broader NATO standards for uncrewed systems.
“What is different about CTF 66 is we see ourselves as and by design and direction, as an all-domain Task Force, which means what we’re trying to do is integrate and leveraging and unmanned systems across land, sea, air and space and cyber domains to be able to deliver effects and work with our allies and partners to to essentially promote security and stability and ensure freedom of navigation,” Mattis said.
