Long Term Capability Requirements as derived from the Long Term Requirements Study

Of the 38 Long Term Capability Requirements indentified by NATO in the 2009 Long Term Requirements Study, at least four can be directly applied to waterside security research and technology. First, Area Access Control, the capability of controlling access to designated unattended areas and borders, denying or allowing access to appropriate personnel and equipment. It must be capable of monitoring across all environments: air, land, sea and subterranean. Potential Systems and Technologies: Non-lethal mine fields, electronic fence, radiation, directed acoustic, remotely controlled mine fields, pattern recognition, biometrics, and image analysis. Secondly, Counter Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED), capable of countering IED threat at any point in the life cycle. The capability must allow the interception of constituent IED parts before reaching the point of construction. It must make safe/dispose detected IEDs and, where necessary, reduce the impact of detonated IEDs. Counter IED must work in all weather conditions and across all relevant military domains (Air, Land, Sea). Potential Systems and Technologies: Advanced sensors, data fusion, advanced pattern recognition, directed energy (EMP/HPM) and acoustic weapons, advanced materials for self-protection, detection of power sources. Third, Counter Naval Mines, capable of countering static underwater threats, including detecting and disposing of all types of naval mines in all water bodies and at all water depths. Future capabilities for countering naval mines must allow for rapid deployment, faster detection and identification of naval mines, with higher probability of detection and lower false alarm rate, against all types of naval mines. The detection, localisation and disposal capabilities must be effective against naval mines in all water bodies, particularly seas and rivers, and at all water depths (including ports and harbours. Potential Systems and Technologies: Advanced sensors for local and wide-area threat detection and location, sensor fusion, water space management systems, improved automation, advanced signal processing, advanced decoys, mine-homing munitions, autonomous underwater vehicles, new weapon types, capable gun systems with advanced hit efficiency and destruction ammunition. Forth, Counter Underwater Threats, capable of countering mobile underwater threats including sub-surface vehicles, swimmers and torpedoes. The Alliance must enhance its ability to rapidly and reliably detect, identify, localise, track, and neutralize or destroy all types of underwater threats, in all environmental conditions, to ensure safe and unlimited access to open seas and littoral areas. There is also a need for an improved capability in analysing and characterising the underwater operating environment through enhanced detailed modelling and simulation. The threat from combat swimmers, including marine animals trained to deliver ordnances against shipping, is particularly prominent for ships (military and commercial) in ports and harbours. Torpedo technology continues to evolve and improve. Torpedoes represent a serious threat to maritime operations in a range of water depths. Potential Systems and Technologies: Advanced decoys, advanced sensors for local and wide area high-precision underwater threat detection and tracking, advanced signal processing, enhanced electro-magnetic and acoustic spectrum denial capabilities, non-lethal weapons, advanced seekers and warheads, lasers, multi-static, low frequency sonar, animals, high-speed hydrodynamics, chemical/acoustic countermeasures, deployable barriers in harbours, mobile barriers.