The underwater dimension
A complex and increasingly contested space where energy, data and security flow together.
Today's underwater environment is becoming more complex, congested and contested. New autonomous technologies and unmanned systems have opened access to the seabed for a wide range of actors, from state competitors to private industries. This evolution creates both opportunities and risks: critical infrastructures such as energy pipelines and communication cables must be protected from potential threats. NATO is adapting to this new environment through initiatives like the Critical Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell (CUICC) and the Maritime Centre for the Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure (NMCSCUI). The Underwater COE contributes to these efforts by providing expertise, analysis and coordination.
A new human frontier
"Beneath the surface lies a new operational space, once inaccessible, now open to many, where technology, resources and security intersect."
The underwater environment represents one of the last frontiers for humanity. Largely unexplored, submarine spaces are becoming crucial for meeting the needs of modern society: a world hungry for energy and data, both of which flow beneath the sea.
For decades, the underwater dimension was reserved for a few advanced navies. Today, simpler and more affordable technologies are granting access to a growing range of actors: military, governmental, commercial and scientific alike.
The sea floor holds vital resources and infrastructure essential for modern life:
- Maritime transport routes enabling international trade
- Energy pipelines transporting oil and gas across vast distances
- Communication cables carrying over 95% of intercontinental data traffic
- Raw materials including minerals and rare earth elements
- Scientific installations for research and environmental monitoring
- Fishing grounds and aquaculture sites supporting global food supply
Yet the underwater environment remains hostile and technically demanding, requiring new tools, skills and international cooperation.
Opportunities and threats beneath the sea
"The underwater space offers immense opportunities, but also new risks that demand coordination, innovation and shared awareness."
New technologies are transforming underwater operations across civilian and military sectors, from offshore energy and telecommunications to scientific research and environmental monitoring.
But these same innovations also generate new vulnerabilities. The underwater operating environment is becoming increasingly congested and contested, with military, industrial and potentially hostile activities overlapping in ways that create complex security challenges.
Potential adversaries are developing capabilities that could threaten Allied access to deep-sea areas and critical undersea infrastructure. NATO must be prepared to operate within a disrupted, degraded and potentially denied underwater environment.
Understanding Underwater Warfare
Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach to Underwater Warfare (UWW), structured around dedicated operational spheres:
- Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) - detecting, tracking and neutralising submarine threats
- Naval Mine Warfare (NMW) - deploying and countering sea mines
- Seabed Operations (SBO) - operations and activities conducted towards, from, on, and below the seabed, to achieve military effects
Why underwater security matters
"The Nord Stream sabotage highlighted the urgent need to protect undersea infrastructures as a key component of Allied security and resilience."
The underwater environment is essential for modern life. Beneath the ocean surface lies a network of critical undersea infrastructure (CUI) that forms the hidden backbone of modern societies:
- Communication cables carrying global data traffic
- Energy pipelines supplying nations with oil and gas
- Offshore platforms, installations, and renewable energy infrastructure
- Scientific and environmental monitoring systems
The Nord Stream wake-up call
The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 revealed how vulnerable these undersea assets can be. The incident marked a turning point: underwater security became a strategic priority for the Alliance.
In response, NATO and its Allies significantly increased their military presence around maritime critical infrastructure — deploying ships, submarines, patrol aircraft and satellites.
The awareness gap
Yet a significant challenge remains: insufficient underwater situational awareness (UWSA) — the shared, continuous knowledge of activities beneath the surface.
Without comprehensive UWSA, the Alliance's ability to detect threats, protect strategic interests and ensure freedom of movement underwater remains undermined. Closing this gap requires sustained investment in technology, training and multinational cooperation.
A new hub for knowledge and innovation
"Italy's initiative to host the Underwater COE in La Spezia turns knowledge and collaboration into strategic capability."
Broader underwater security requires multinational and inter-agency cooperation. It can only be achieved by working together — combining the expertise and resources of NATO bodies and commands, Allied and partner nations, international organisations, industry, academia and research centres.
Italy's strategic role
Italy, located at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, is geostrategically positioned to host a Centre of Excellence dedicated to the underwater operating environment.
La Spezia, on the Ligurian coast, offers a unique ecosystem that brings together:
NATO STO CMRE
The NATO Science and Technology Organization Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation manages and conducts scientific research and technology development centred on the maritime domain with a focus on underwater topics.
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PNS
The "Polo Nazionale della dimensione Subacquea" (National Underwater Dimension Hub) fosters collaboration among government, private sector, industry and academia to accelerate underwater technology development, adapting it to the Italian Navy's needs.
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CSSN
The Italian Navy's Naval Support and Experimentation Centre (Centro di Supporto e Sperimentazione Navale) manages logistic support engineering and leads experimentation programmes for the Italian Navy.
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Bridging science and operations
This co-location creates a powerful opportunity for synergy between science and doctrine, enabling:
- Rapid transition from research to operational capability
- Shared experimentation and testing facilities
- Cross-sector collaboration and knowledge exchange
- Innovation acceleration through proximity
The Underwater Centre of Excellence emerges from this unique context, an interface between science, doctrine and operations, dedicated to supporting the Alliance's security and innovation in the underwater dimension.