Naval leaders gathered at SIANC
ARLINGTON, Va.—To Dr. Brett Seidle — deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Testing, and Engineering — the incredible speed of scientific advances and technological proliferation today can be challenging, especially when the impact of new technologies on civilian and military realities transcends national boundaries.
While delivering a keynote address at the recent Special Inter-American Naval Conference on Science, Technology, and Innovation (SIANC-ST&I) in Orlando, Florida, Seidle identified several disciplines that have grown to be top navies priorities: unmanned systems. and autonomous, cyber and information warfare, and maritime domain awareness, to name a few.
“Unless we have people who understand how these technologies work and why these technologies are so important, we will surrender our technological advantage to our threat pacing,” Seidle said. “We need innovators and strategic thinkers who know not only how to go to war, but also how to prevent it from happening in the first place.”
Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global — ONR’s international arm — this year’s SIANC-ST&I brought together representatives from 14 participating nations from North, Central, and South America as well as two international organizations: the Inter-American Defense Council and Inter-Naval Telecommunications. Network America. The aim of this conference is twofold: to support shared maritime science and technology (Iptek) interests among partner countries; and strengthen linkages, coordination and interoperability.
This year’s SIANC-ST&I is the ninth in its 27-year history and marks the first time the event has been held in the United States.
In his speech, Seidle discussed the importance of fostering greater innovation to face global challenges; invest more in joint research between allied nations; and the responsibility of participating nations to not only focus on their own aspirations in defense research, but also to promote sustainable partnerships with all nations in the Americas.
In keeping with this year’s conference theme, “Navy Integration with Unmanned Systems,” Rear Admiral Lorin Selby, Chief of Naval Research, spoke about how, in the coming years, the US Navy and Marine Corps will face new challenges to their operational capabilities. These constraints will require a navy that is innovative, agile and ready to adapt to new realities.
Selby’s remarks build on “The Defining Decade: The Future is Now” speech he gave last month at the Naval League’s Sea-Air-Space Exhibition, the largest maritime exhibition in the United States, held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland. . Learn more about this speech at https://www.nre.navy.mil/media-center/news-releases/defining-decade-cnr-talks-future-naval-power-sea-air-space.
“We live in a world where America’s technological advantage is threatened, which in turn threatens our allies and partner nations,” said Selby at SIAC-ST&I. “It is imperative that we encourage international collaboration and joint experimentation, to build greater global security.”
During SIANC-ST&I, representatives split into three working groups — unmanned systems, knowledge management, and general operational overview — to consider specific activities, including hosting workshops and integrating technology into their own routine exercises, to enhance interoperability with other maritime forces and incorporate activities that attract S&T innovation into their research investments.
At the end of the conference, partner nations signed a final resolution summarizing the discussions, with declarations, recommendations, and action items for the next two years, for review and approval by the Chief of Navy in September 2024 during the Inter-American Naval Conference.
“At ONR and ONR Global, we pride ourselves on our culture of innovation and commitment to strengthening partnerships that benefit our Navy and Marine Corps,” said ONR Global Technical Director Dr. Rhett Jefferies. “We are discovering potentially game-changing science in the smallest corner of the world and are seeking to link these innovative researchers to the Naval Research Enterprise. The S&T collaboration that resulted during the SIANC ST&I was critical to our collective safety in the Western Hemisphere.”
Other highlights of the conference include scientific presentations by students from the University of Central Florida and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; a tour of the Kennedy Space Center, followed by a reception at the Atlantis Space Shuttle exhibit, where attendees met retired astronaut Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Allen (USMC, et al.); and a trip to Tech Grove’s Central Florida innovation center, which hosts several joint projects with the Navy’s Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division.
Credit: (US Navy photo by Michael Walls)
ARLINGTON, Va.—To Dr. Brett Seidle — deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Testing, and Engineering — the incredible speed of scientific advances and technological proliferation today can be challenging, especially when the impact of new technologies on civilian and military realities transcends national boundaries.
While delivering a keynote address at the recent Special Inter-American Naval Conference on Science, Technology, and Innovation (SIANC-ST&I) in Orlando, Florida, Seidle identified several disciplines that have grown to be top navies priorities: unmanned systems. and autonomous, cyber and information warfare, and maritime domain awareness, to name a few.
“Unless we have people who understand how these technologies work and why these technologies are so important, we will surrender our technological advantage to our threat pacing,” Seidle said. “We need innovators and strategic thinkers who know not only how to go to war, but also how to prevent it from happening in the first place.”
Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global — ONR’s international arm — this year’s SIANC-ST&I brought together representatives from 14 participating nations from North, Central, and South America as well as two international organizations: the Inter-American Defense Council and Inter-Naval Telecommunications. Network America. The aim of this conference is twofold: to support shared maritime science and technology (Iptek) interests among partner countries; and strengthen linkages, coordination and interoperability.
This year’s SIANC-ST&I is the ninth in its 27-year history and marks the first time the event has been held in the United States.
In his speech, Seidle discussed the importance of fostering greater innovation to face global challenges; invest more in joint research between allied nations; and the responsibility of participating nations to not only focus on their own aspirations in defense research, but also to promote sustainable partnerships with all nations in the Americas.
In keeping with this year’s conference theme, “Navy Integration with Unmanned Systems,” Rear Admiral Lorin Selby, Chief of Naval Research, spoke about how, in the coming years, the US Navy and Marine Corps will face new challenges to their operational capabilities. These barriers will require a navy that is innovative, agile and ready to adapt to new realities.
Selby’s remarks build on “The Defining Decade: The Future is Now” speech he gave last month at the Naval League’s Sea-Air-Space Exhibition, the largest maritime exhibition in the United States, held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland. . Learn more about this speech at https://www.nre.navy.mil/media-center/news-releases/defining-decade-cnr-talks-future-naval-power-sea-air-space.
“We live in a world where America’s technological advantage is threatened, which in turn threatens our allies and partner nations,” said Selby at SIAC-ST&I. “It is imperative that we encourage international collaboration and joint experimentation, to build greater global security.”
During SIANC-ST&I, representatives split into three working groups — unmanned systems, knowledge management, and general operational overview — to consider specific activities, including hosting workshops and integrating technology into their own routine exercises, to enhance interoperability with other maritime forces and incorporate activities that attract S&T innovation into their research investments.
At the end of the conference, partner nations signed a final resolution summarizing the discussions, with declarations, recommendations, and action items for the next two years, for review and approval by the Chief of Navy in September 2024 during the Inter-American Naval Conference.
“At ONR and ONR Global, we are proud of our culture of innovation and commitment to strengthening partnerships that benefit our Navy and Marine Corps,” said ONR Global Technical Director Dr. Rhett Jefferies. “We are discovering potentially game-changing science in the smallest corner of the world and are seeking to link those innovative researchers to the Naval Research Enterprise. The S&T collaboration that resulted during the SIANC ST&I was critical to our collective safety in the Western Hemisphere.”
Other highlights of the conference include scientific presentations by students from the University of Central Florida and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; a tour of the Kennedy Space Center, followed by a reception at the Atlantis Space Shuttle exhibit, where attendees met retired astronaut Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Allen (USMC, et al.); and a trip to Tech Grove’s Central Florida innovation center, which hosts several joint projects with the Navy’s Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division.
