The NATO-accredited Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters in Kiel, Germany, addresses the unique security and economic challenges presented by these important bodies of water. Since 2009, this Centre has supported NATO by leveraging the knowledge gained through an impressive diversity of projects and activities. Utilizing a global network of experts from academia, military and civil entities, personnel from Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Türkiye, and the United States serve together in this “think-and-do” tank located at the south-western tip of the Baltic Sea.
The importance of confined and shallow waters for global security and economic processes remains high. These waters influence almost every aspect of global life, transportation, trade, food supply chains and more. They are crisscrossed by a network of intense interdependencies and competing interests and have high densities of human activity, critical infrastructure and difficult environmental conditions. As a result, a variety of factors influence and complicate any maritime endeavour, be it civilian or military.
Over the last two years, the Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters has built up a high-end wargaming capability, which offers training opportunities to staff elements on a tactical level like the NATO High Readiness Forces Maritime. The aim is to train decision making processes using an extremely versatile serious gaming software. This tailors trainings to consider the individual demands of staff elements in terms of regions and missions covered. In addition, this wargaming capability can be used for analytical purposes.
Recognizing the increasing vulnerability of critical maritime infrastructure, the Centre is also deeply involved in understanding the challenges surrounding Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection. They are coordinating a longer-term exercise effort named “RUBIKON” to improve cross-border coordination of Maritime Infrastructure Protection. This is a particular challenge due to the widespread and overlapping areas of related responsibilities in nations which are connected by critical infrastructures, like communication cables or pipelines. With a strong focus on everyday operations, RUBIKON brings together the Maritime Security Centres and other related stakeholders from several nations. The Centre of Excellence also cooperates with the European Defence Agency, and strives to build a blueprint for a shared protective understanding, for improved coordination, and for information sharing between all involved.
Another exciting focus of the Centre of Excellence for Confined and Shallow Waters is to integrate space-based systems/sensors into maritime operations in such waters. With software under development for that specific purpose, and with the support of a variety of civilian companies and space-oriented military entities, the preliminary aim is the development of a blueprint for a Multi-Sensor-Data-Fusion Cell. The Cell will be tested in suitable real-world exercises over the course of this year and, following a thoroughly agile approach, will be assessed for further development and experimentation.
The Centre of Excellence for Confined and Shallow Waters pursues a plethora of projects and activities in support of NATO. These include participation in NATO working Groups, supporting the Munich Security Conference, bringing forward Electromagnetic Operations, jointly working alongside NATO to implement NATO Maritime Synthetic Collective Training, and fostering a common understanding and the development of Operational Maritime Law, like through their annual “Conference on Operational Maritime Law.”
By addressing the complex challenges posed by confined and shallow waters, this Centre of Excellence is making a significant contribution to global security and prosperity. Its work is vital to ensuring freedom of navigation, protecting critical infrastructure, and maintaining a rules-based maritime order.