HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Warfighters from Five Eyes (FVEY) partner nations, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, convened in Halifax Sept. 21 for the commencement of the annual Maritime Warfare Working Group (MWWG), which runs through Sept. 25.
The weeklong event offers an opportunity for FVEY partners to discuss existing capabilities and expand capacity while building on lessons learned from recent operations and exercises. With the theme “Fight Tonight, Fight in the Dark, and Fight at Range,” the MWWG is an enduring event that improves maritime interoperability among partners and increases combat effectiveness. Nearly 90 participants attended this year, led by a head of delegation from each nation.
Representing the partner nations’ warfighting development centers are the Australian Maritime Warfare Centre (AMWC), Canadian Forces Maritime Warfare Centre (CFMWC), New Zealand Naval Warfare Development Group (NWDG), and the United Kingdom Maritime Warfare Centre (MWC).
The United States was represented across all domains, including the Undersea Warfare Development Center, Naval Aviation Warfare Development Center, Naval Information Warfare Development Center, and Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC). The tactical discussions and outcomes of MWWG directly support follow-on strategic, senior-level Five Eyes Navy Staff Talks, where senior leaders from all partner nations tie together the critical aspects of the broader maritime domain.
“True maritime superiority relies on continuous learning and seamless integration,” said Lieutenant-Commander Kimberly Lujan, MWWG 2026 U.S. delegation lead planner. “Working side-by-side with our Five Eyes counterparts in Halifax gives us the unique opportunity to share critical tactical insights, discuss relevant TTPs, and build our partnership network in-person as we work together to become an innovative, interoperable force across every domain.”
Throughout the week, domain experts across surface, air, undersea, information warfare, mine warfare, and unmanned systems will exchange information to better understand and improve how partner navies fight together. By discussing warfighting development initiatives, doctrine, TTPs, and applicable lessons learned, MWWG 2026 reinforces the importance of the collective strength that FVEY capabilities offer, aligning strategic and tactical understanding to ensure combined force readiness.
SMWDC is the Navy’s warfighting development center for surface warfare and mine warfare. Its mission is to increase the lethality and tactical proficiency of the Surface Fleet across all domains by providing tactical expertise and innovative solutions through the development and assessment of warfighting doctrine, concepts, and tactics, techniques and procedures.
