GDYNIA, Poland – The 4th Annual Allied Special Operations Forces Command (SOFCOM) Maritime Conference, held in collaboration with the Polish Ministry of Defence, convened 111 participants from across Allied and partner nations in Gdynia, Poland from Apr. 1 to 4, 2025.
The overall purpose of the conference was to advance NATO’s Maritime Special Operations Forces network and accelerate innovation through the Operational Experimentation Exercise Bold Machina (BOMA).
“This fourth iteration of the conference is a crucial step in advancing NATO’s Maritime SOF capabilities,” said Rear Admiral Max Rossi, SOFCOM Chief of Staff. “Meeting just 128 kilometers from Kaliningrad underscores the urgency. In today’s security environment, innovation is not optional—it’s essential. We must remain adaptive, resilient, and unpredictable. This isn’t just about identifying challenges—it’s about forging unified, strategic solutions.”
Polish SOF leadership also emphasized the importance of innovation and interoperability in the region’s complex security landscape.
“Poland is proud to host this gathering of Allied and partner SOF,” said Major General Sławomir Drumowicz, Commander, Polish Special Operations Forces (Wojska Specjalne). “The maritime domain presents unique challenges that demand constant adaptation. Through collaboration, experimentation, and forward-thinking initiatives like BOMA, we are ensuring that our forces remain ready, relevant, and resilient.”
Adding a significant layer of historical and cultural relevance, Captain Kwiatkowski of SOFU Formoza highlighted the symbolic timing of the event, “The date of this year’s conference coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Poland’s only Maritime SOF unit,” said Captain Kwiatkowski. “It constitutes a perfect platform to present the unit’s history and capabilities to the international Maritime SOF environment.”
Captain Jan Kwiatkowski, Commander of SOFU Formoza, delivers remarks at the 4th Annual Maritime Special Operations Forces Conference in Gdynia, Poland. Photo provided by Lukas Zacharczuk, Jednostka Wojskowa Formoza (JWF)
Rear Admiral Max Rossi, SOFCOM Chief of Staff, delivers opening remarks at the 4th Annual Maritime Special Operations Forces Conference in Gdynia, Poland, emphasizing the essential need for innovation, adaptability, and strategic unity in today’s security environment. Photo provided by Lukas Zacharczuk, Jednostka Wojskowa Formoza (JWF)
With a focus on the evolving threat environment, the conference featured sessions that examined emerging technologies, lessons learned from Ukraine’s Maritime SOF, and pathways to future interoperability. Representatives from NATO’s Science and Technology Organization, Poland’s Ministry of Defence, and NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) shared perspectives on how Allies can leverage cutting edge technology and innovation programs to stay ahead of emergent threats.
A highlight of the event was Allied SOFCOM’s unveiling of key research outcomes from BOMA 24. These included advancements in undersea operations technology developed in collaboration with the NATO Science and Technology Organization’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE). In parallel, the Naval Postgraduate School presented findings from a SOFCOM-funded study assessing the feasibility of integrating passive sensors into counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (cUAS). The aim is to enhance the survivability of SOF combatant craft by enabling minimal signature operations in the maritime domain. Additionally, the Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Centre of Excellence presented a SOFCOM-commissioned research paper exploring the role of Low-Profile and Semi-Submersible Vessels and their potential applications for Maritime SOF missions.
These efforts are directly informing the planning and design of upcoming experimentation cycles, including BOMA 25, set to take place in the Netherlands, and the early development of BOMA 26. BOMA 25 will showcase four major operational vignettes—Build, Survive, Defeat, and Link the Machine—designed to test and evolve capabilities in areas such as Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs), passive sensing, protection of Critical Underwater Infrastructure (CUI), and multinational command-and-control operations.
For the first time, Bold Machina (BOMA 25) will be integrally linked to NATO’s broader maritime innovation ecosystem through complementary exercises such as Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS) co-organised by NATO’s Joint Capability Group for Maritime Unmanned Systems (JCGMUS), the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), the University of Porto’s Faculty of Engineering, and the European Defence Agency—and the Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM)-led Exercise Dynamic Messenger. These exercises are part of a synergistic framework and serve as key operational experimentation platforms, focused on the advancement, integration, and operationalization of Maritime Unmanned Systems (MUS) across NATO maritime operations.
Throughout the event, the Allied SOF Maritime Conference reaffirmed the essential role of Allied SOFCOM in uniting Allied and partner SOF, fostering a culture of innovation, and enhancing NATO's maritime SOF operational readiness. As threats in the maritime domain grow increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated, the conference underscored a shared commitment: NATO’s Maritime SOF must remain agile, synchronised, and empowered by innovation. The Bold Machina initiative, along with the broader BOMA framework, exemplifies how collaborative experimentation and technological advancement can shape future operations, ensuring NATO SOF remain a decisive force in and from the sea.