SERDP and Noblis, Inc. hosted a second SERDP workshop on the acoustic detection and classification of underwater UXO in 2017 and the Workshop Report has just been posted. The workshop brought together modelers and experimentalists working in SERDP Underwater Munitions program, Office of Naval Research (ONR) Program Managers, and other knowledgeable members of the field to evaluate recent progress made in development of acoustics sensing and processing, and platform development to detect and classify underwater munitions and to recommend future R&D initiatives.

The workshop began with a series of overview presentations to get everybody started on the same foot. First was a reminder of the state of the art as of 2013, the first workshop in this series. This was followed a review of ONR’s current focus areas and programs in Mine Countermeasures (MCM). Further insight into both the MCM and munitions remediation efforts of the Navy was gained via a presentation by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division. Finally, a description of the CERCLA process as used for munitions response was presented by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

The bulk of the workshop was organized around breakout sessions. These sessions took up the subjects of sensors, detection and classification, and deployment platform requirements in sequence. Results from those breakout sessions were then reported to and discussed by the larger group. These discussions are summarized in the report.

The final topic covered in the workshop was a discussion among all participants of remaining R&D and demonstration efforts that can serve to organize the way ahead in the SERDP and ESTCP programs. This topic is addressed in Section 7 of the workshop report and will inform the Munitions Response Technical Committee and should be of value to those preparing proposals for future solicitations in this area.