NATO to trial autonomous systems and AI tech under new TASK FORCE X

A fleet of autonomous systems to provide surveillance, detect and track potential threats, and enhance situational awareness in the maritime domain under new TASK FORCE X, NATO informed.

NATO faces an evolving maritime security environment characterized by increased Russian aggression, including threats to critical undersea infrastructure.

The threat has been underscored by the recent damage to undersea cables in the Baltic. To counter these threats, Allied Command Transformation has worked with Allied Command Operations, NATO’s Maritime Command and NATO Headquarters to establish TASK FORCE X, a specialized initiative focused on new technologies.

These technologies will incorporate autonomous systems and artificial intelligence into maritime operations in order to enhance the situational awareness of sea lines and protect underwater infrastructure.

The system will be tested in mid-February 2025, as part of NATO Maritime Command’s Baltic Sentry which aims to improve NATO’s ability to respond to destabilizing acts.

To remind, last month, the alliance initiated Baltic Sentry in the Baltic Sea to deter any future attempts by a state or non-state actor to damage critical undersea infrastructure there.

TASK FORCE X will be multi-domain and applicable to NATO’s 360-degree approach. It will build on existing NATO decisions and initiatives in the areas of autonomy and digital transformation, as well as NATO’s digital ocean vision.

Furthermore, initially TASK FORCE X will deploy to the Baltic Sea, although the framework is designed over time to be applicable and scalable across regions, domains, and problem sets, NATO concluded.