User operational evaluation system of unmanned underwater vehicles for very shallow water mine countermeasures

The United States Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Program Office within the Program Executive Office, Littoral and Mine Warfare, utilized a User Operational Evaluation System (UOES) as an essential element in its procurement strategy for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) for Very Shallow Water (VSW) Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Operations. From April 2001 through April 2003 six members of the Naval Special Clearance Team ONE routinely operated and evaluated two Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) constructed REMUS UUVs. Included were numerous military exercises and scheduled equipment tests in different operational environments around the world. The UOES phase provided invaluable performance data and "war fighter" feedback on vehicle configuration, unit requirements, integration concerns with existing systems, and operational employment of a small UUV in the VSW MCM area of operations (littoral waters with depths of 3-12 meters). A performance specification was developed based largely on information received during this phase, and a competitive procurement strategy is underway to field a more robust capability by FY 2005.