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NATO naval exercises map out future USV requirements but raise questions on acquisition

8th December 2025 - 16:31 GMT | by Alix Valenti in London, UK

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A drone boat navigates in the harbour of the Den Helder Naval Base in the Netherlands during Exercise Bold Machina 25. (Photo: NATO)

Uncrewed surface vessels have shifted from a desirable capability to a critical one for navies. But should these systems be bought outright, rented as a service or rapidly built using commercial off-the-shelf components?

NATO ran three naval exercises simultaneously this year: REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems), Dynamic Messenger and BOMA (Bold Machina), with the latter designed to challenge assumptions around acquisition, ownership and adaptability.

Although held in different locations — Troia, Portugal and Den Helder, Netherlands — they were designed as interconnected events, testing uncrewed systems across conventional fleets and special forces under a single data and experimentation framework.

Captain Kurt Mueller, maritime department director at Allied Special Operations Forces Command (SOFCOM), said that while BOMA aligned with the themes of REPMUS and Dynamic Messenger, it was

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