CNO Forges Stronger Alliances at 14th Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium

VENICE, Italy – Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations, participated in the 14th Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium (TRSS) held in Venice from October 8 to 10, 2024.

The symposium gathered naval leaders and coast guard officials from 67 countries alongside global maritime experts. This year’s theme, “A Spotlight on the Depths: the Underwater as a New Frontier for Humankind,” focused on assessing the growing significance of underwater domains. Attendees engaged in panel discussions and interactive sessions to explore innovative maritime strategies and collaboration.

“It is great to be here among friends who are united by our shared values, our shared commitment, and our shared stake in the continued stability, security, and prosperity of the entire global maritime commons, especially in the undersea domain,” Franchetti stated. Emphasizing the threats to global stability, she pointed to the vulnerabilities of crucial undersea infrastructures that support economies and daily life.

Franchetti participated in a panel titled “Safeguarding the Underwater: New Solutions and Technologies for New Challenges,” highlighting the U.S. Navy’s use of advanced technology. She discussed integrating technologies like autonomous systems and underwater command networks into the fleet, with an emphasis on rapid adoption for enhanced maritime capabilities.

“Integrating robotic and autonomous systems into the daily business of our operations is a critical part of my recently released Navigation Plan for America’s War Fighting Navy,” she explained. The plan prioritizes readiness and modernizes capabilities under her leadership, focusing on innovation that directly supports sailors.

She stressed the importance of alliances, mentioning ongoing cooperation with partners to bolster undersea domain capabilities as part of a larger warfighting framework. “We are continuing to closely collaborate with you, all of our allies and partners, and your respective innovation bases to advance our capabilities in the undersea domain,” she added.

Throughout the symposium, Franchetti engaged in bilateral discussions with naval leaders from Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Nigeria, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. She focused on improving interoperability among allies and partners.

Additionally, Franchetti participated in a trilateral meeting with her Australian and United Kingdom counterparts as part of the AUKUS partnership. Previous discussions occurred in Perth, Australia, highlighting ongoing cooperation in advancing undersea capabilities among the three nations.

“In three years of the AUKUS agreement we have made significant progress in integrating the exceptional undersea capabilities of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States,” she noted. This partnership aims to ensure security and maintain a rules-based international order, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.

The symposium concluded with a multilateral meeting that included G7 naval leaders and chiefs of carrier strike group navies, underscoring the continued collaboration and strategic alignment among participating nations.