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Canada's internal waters in the Arctic Ar- chipelago. Canada's existing resources in the region do not provide for subsurface monitoring or surveillance operations; consequently, Canada would not be in a position to detect, monitor or prevent an incursion. Canada's four Victoria class SSKs are ill- suited for under-ice work due to their limit- ed submerged duration and availability, but they could provide an effective interdiction capability at the ice edge if required. The new Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships provide limited seasonal coverage through first year ice. The two new Polar class icebreakers will improve year-round access to the region, but icebreaking will diminish a vessel's abil- ity to conduct effective ASW operations be- cause of radiated noise. The Arctic is vast, and the number of ships available is inad- equate to monitor the area. The Defence Research and Develop- ment Canada (DRDC) Northern Watch Technology Demonstration project was designed to investigate technologies to monitor activity at several key Arctic chokepoints 2 . The project that lasted more than eight years was considered a success, but it did demonstrate some major issues associated with establishing permanent surveillance in the Arctic such as problems with installation, ice conditions, technical challenges, and data management. Substantial capital investment is required to procure submarines, ice breakers, and fixed cable arrays to provide continuous sub-surface surveillance in the high Arctic P E R S P E C T I V E B Y A D R I A N W O O D R O F F E Part I: The Need and Capability Gap The recent report by the Auditor General of Canada highlighted the changing Arc- tic environment and the implications for better surveillance of the Canadian Arc- tic 1 . The report emphasized the changing conditions in the Arctic due to climate change that have made it easier for com- mercial ships, tourist operators and foreign government and military vessels to access the Arctic. The Canadian High North Arctic Ar- chipelago is a vast area covering approxi- mately 1.4 million square kilometres and comprises about 50% of the coastline of Canada. This region is covered by ice for large portions of the year and the area's gulfs, channels, inlets, and straits cre- ate complex navigational and monitoring challenges. With minimal persistent surveillance, for- eign submarines and other subsea systems can travel through or perch inside Cana- da's territorial water without detection. To develop a credible deterrent, Canada must be able to detect, track, shape, and inter- dict an adversary to prevent unauthorized incursions in the area. Countering submarines in the ocean or even in littoral regions requires a combina- tion of submarines, surface vessels, seafloor sensors, airborne assets, and increasingly uncrewed vessels both surface and sub- surface. Even though the Arctic is warm- ing, ice coverage persists in large areas throughout the year restricting access to 24 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023 www.vanguardcanada.com Sponsored Content region. These costly assets have extended procurement cycles and are complex to operate with significant operational over- head that continues for the vessel's life. Part II: Proposed Solution Long-Range AUV Fleets This paper proposes a number of fleets of coordinated Long-Range AUV (LRAUV) systems for a cost-effective, persistent, and integrated system for wide-area sur- veillance. For the purpose of this paper, long-range is considered to be at least two thousand kilometers. Northern Deployment Long-range AUVs can operate from re- mote bases with minimal infrastructure and are well suited for deployment from Canada's Arctic communities. By collabo- rating with local communities and com- panies, missions can be developed and supported with the benefit and insight of extensive local knowledge that will be critical for the long-term success of the program. In return, training, skilled jobs, and infrastructure will be developed. The LRAUV surveillance program will also provide the opportunity to provide much needed environmental monitoring & hy- drographic surveying. Strength in Numbers With autonomous control, tens to hun- dreds of LRAUVs can be deployed, provid- ing continuous coverage of maritime choke points and roaming patrols. A fleet of hun- F L E E T S O F LO N G RA N G E, A U TO N O M O U S U N D E RWAT E R V E H I C L E S F O R A RCT I C S U RV E I L LA N C E Solus-LR

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