Realising the Integrated Operating Concept 25: How the UK MAPLE architecture is evolving to meet the Royal Navy’s and Royal Marines’ requirements at the heart of Joint and Coalition operations.

Building on previous papers that have introduced and then updated on progress of the Dstl Maritime Autonomous Platform Exploitation (MAPLE) project, this paper will set out how MAPLE is being exploited by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. Explaining the linkages between MAPLE and the new Naval Strike Network (NSN), the authors will set out how NSN as a common, core communications, command and control (C2) and information architecture will accelerate the exploitation of Maritime Autonomous Systems. The paper will explain the phased approach, developing and baselining a Minimum Viable Product, testing an instantiation of the MAPLE information architecture and codifying the communications and information flows required to transition prototype warfare concepts into service such that they are robust, resilient and reliable. The agile and spiral path to achieve integration into operational combat systems on RN warships will be set out, including the approach to security and assurance. The paper will also set out the next stage in the development of the MAPLE Information Architecture, showing the expansion from a Platform centric to a Force information architecture, which will enable the realisation of the vision of the Integrated Operation Concept 25. This Force level approach, at the heart of the UK/US Interchangeability to Interoperability (I2I) initiative, and the outcomes from the first demonstration of this interface at the NATO Maritime Unmanned Systems Initiative (MUSI) REP(MUS) exercise, taking place in Portugal in September 2021, will be presented.