Autonomy And Uncrewed Development

Unit Function

Navy Develop Autonomy Capability lead and UK lead for NATO JCGMUS

Position Role UK-based coordination and delivery of the Navy Develop Autonomy Capability Planning Group and NATO autonomy and uncrewed systems.

1. Coordinate and deliver the Navy Develop Autonomy Capability Planning Group as per CPG TORs (49% of role capacity).
2. Act as Deputy Director of the JCGMUS Innovation and Coordination Cell leading activity as directed by the Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems (JCGMUS)) and Director JCGMUS (51% of role capacity).
3. Identify areas of commonality and best practice within autonomous system development driving the adoption of common standards and interfaces for interoperability across NATO partners and to provide a conduit for sharing opportunities and lessons with RN colleagues.
4. Facilitate the accelerated procurement of uncrewed and autonomous solutions and new technologies into the RN and NATO by directing and guiding concept development activity to reduce PoR Concept Assessment enabling the rapid adoption integration and scaling of viable systems into a hybrid multi-national force.
5. Through the Autonomy CPG drive coherence into Navy wide innovation and procurement activity to ensure efficiency of effort and the adoption of common approaches to enabling capabilities such as the Command Control and Communication of uncrewed assets as well as the underpinning Autonomy architecture.
6. Coordinate the coherent delivery of MUS Operational Experimentation into UK and NATO OPEX and provide advice and guidance across all warfare domains regarding the integration of MUS technology into wider National and NATO and other relevant exercises.
7. Contribute to and enable RN and NATO JCGMUS engagement with industry (Primes and SMEs) academia and international partners in developing autonomous system exploitation employment and interoperability at the NATO level.

Domestic
Portsmouth NCHQ based with extensive travel (at least twice per month) to NATO BRUSSELS.
Extensive remote working.

Employer Comments
The Royal Navy (RN) is committed to harnessing uncrewed increasingly autonomous and networked capabilities in an agile manner. NCHQs mechanism to enable the improved delivery of autonomous systems is the Autonomy Capability Planning Group (CPG) under the leadership of DD Cap Strat and as part of the C5ISR capability team.

Driving a coherent approach to autonomy enabling capabilities (C2 communications regulatory compliance) through the CPG will ensure that the Navy builds an eco-system able to rapidly assimilate new and updated autonomous systems into the Hybrid-Force and enable coordinated and collaborative Mission Planning and Execution.

Leadership of that cross-functional CPG is the key output of this post however success in Autonomy is also dependent on full interoperability with our NATO Allies and partners and that aspect is the other aspect of the role.

After initiation in 2018 the NATO Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems was formally established in 2023.

In order for this initiative to continue to yield benefits for the RN and UK and leverage Alliance interoperability the Develop Directorate will continue to augment the NATO JCGMUS team with a UK-Based but committed Voluntary National Contribution (VNC) post until such time as an enduring solution is found.

The role will have specific responsibilities for the coordination and delivery of RN input into NATO multinational projects and activities specifically focused on addressing priority maritime capability shortfalls.

The development of UK MUS capabilities must be coherent with NATO Allies to ensure interoperability and to leverage the benefits of collaboration. This post supports the RN in maintaining and leading full coherence and coordination with NATO as new maritime capabilities are developed and fielded especially in the areas recognised by the Allies as collective shortfalls against current NATO targets.

Navy Develop emphasises an accelerated and agile approach to innovative capabilities which needs to be fully integrated with similar programmes in allied navies and the UK has a responsibility to develop common multinational collaborative approaches to ensure allied leadership in this NATO role significantly enhances the RNs and UKs reputation within the NATO context.