NATO military chief urges innovation in underwater defence

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, delivered a keynote address at the SEAFUTURE 2025 Conference in La Spezia, Italy, highlighting the importance of innovation and cross-sector collaboration in underwater infrastructure protection, according to NATO.

Speaking to military, academic, and industry leaders, Admiral Cavo Dragone said “emerging disruptive technologies are reshaping the underwater environment — only faster, broader, and with global consequences.”

He added that NATO and its partners “cannot remain prisoners of old paradigms” and must instead “dare to think differently — to look at creative, unconventional solutions that blend military expertise, scientific research, and commercial innovation.”

The Admiral pointed to new opportunities made possible by increased defence investment agreed at the NATO Summit in The Hague. “We can now channel more resources into R&D, scale innovative technologies faster, and ensure that disruptive ideas become operational solutions,” he said.

He also underscored the role of smaller companies, noting that “small and medium enterprises must be part of this effort. Their creativity, agility, and niche expertise can make the difference in areas like robotics, AI, quantum, and sensors.”

During his visit, Admiral Cavo Dragone met with leaders of the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in La Spezia, which conducts advanced research on undersea science and technology. The CMRE’s work, historically tied to Cold War anti-submarine tracking, now focuses on AI, robotics, next-generation underwater acoustics, and quantum computing.

He also visited Italy’s National Pole of the Underwater Dimension (PNS), an inter-ministerial initiative that promotes cooperation between public and private institutions to strengthen national and Allied capabilities in the underwater domain.