NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), Admiral Pierre Vandier, has visited the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in La Spezia, Italy to explore its latest advances in maritime security and undersea research.

During his visit, Admiral Vandier toured the NATO Research Vessel Alliance and inspected CMRE’s fleet of maritime surveillance assets. He also received a briefing on ‘Mainsail’, an artificial intelligence tool designed to detect suspicious vessel activity and safeguard critical undersea infrastructure, such as pipelines and communication cables.

“Here we find solutions,” Admiral Vandier said. “Thanks to AI, we can monitor these infrastructures at scale, provide early warnings, and take action before or during an event – rather than simply reacting afterwards.”

The Admiral highlighted the increasing role of uncrewed systems in naval operations. “As these technologies become more affordable, we can deploy large swarms of sensors and effectors. The challenge is ensuring they operate within an infrastructure where operational forces can understand, decide, and act.”

Admiral Vandier also briefed CMRE staff on ‘Task Force X’ (TFX), NATO’s new rapid deployment initiative that integrates uncrewed systems and emerging defence technologies. While Mainsail enhances maritime situational awareness through AI-driven data fusion, TFX is designed to detect and deter threats as part of NATO’s ‘Enhanced Vigilance’ activities.

“This centre, since its creation in 1959, has always been ahead of the curve,” he said. “In a time of growing instability, we must strengthen the link between NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT), CMRE, and operational forces.

“Being part of a coalition allows us to develop projects that benefit all 32 NATO nations. That is exactly what you have been doing here for decades.

“We are in a pivotal period, and it gives us great confidence that we can respond effectively to the threats ahead.”