The Government has indicated that further detail on the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Bastion concept will depend on the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan, following a series of parliamentary questions on the programme’s scope and timeline.
On 23 February, Conservative MP James Cartlidge asked the Ministry of Defence when the experimental phase of Atlantic Bastion would conclude, whether it has a target delivery date, which individual capabilities form part of the initiative, whether all elements must reach full operating capability, and how many of those capabilities are new versus already in service.
Responding on behalf of the department, Al Carns described Atlantic Bastion as a concept that “combines the latest autonomous and AI technologies with world-class warships and aircraft to create a highly advanced hybrid fighting force that will see ships, submarines, aircraft and uncrewed vessels connected.”
He added that “the scope of the capability enhancements delivered through Atlantic Bastion remains dependent on the Defence Investment Plan.” No additional information was provided on delivery milestones, timelines or the specific systems involved, however.
Atlantic Bastion is a drive to integrate autonomous and AI-enabled systems with existing crewed platforms across the maritime and air domains, particularly in the North Atlantic. However, concrete details on how that ambition will come to be still remain tied to funding and prioritisation decisions yet to be confirmed.
Grr.
They’ve even dropped off the ‘as soon as possible’ from the standard DIP ending. It’s probably out of their hands and part of a scuffle between Healey, the PM and the Treasury now.
Maybe the budget for words in a press release is now limited until DIP is dumped on defence?
The best way to get Atlantic bastion is to buy small amounts of innovative systems on a continuous basis and combine those with high end legacy systems like Sonar 2087, Merlin and P8.
Sea gliders are probably the most promising technology and we are already well on the way to fielding them.
USV and UUV are probably expensive dead ends for such a capability.
Power is always going to be a problem for such systems and the more power you give them the bigger they get and the bigger they get the more expensive they get. Drones have a habit of going off the rails occasionally and do you want your large multi million pound drones in the Atlantic suiciding or being boarded by Russians.
When will this spineless and inept govt get its finger out and get on with building our services rather than running it down to a 2nd rate power.
Then publish it…genuinely, what’s going on in government? Has Starmer forgotten that he can tell the Treasury to find the money?
Translation: we are not funding this
So they are now saying their previous, much celebrated announcement on AB is subject to their own review?
Dependebt on the Defence Investment Plan. I am shocked, shocked!
I have it on good authority that the DIP will be announced on February 29th, year to be decided
HMG, HM forces greatest enemy.
Nothing ever changes.