In　this　paper,　robust　adaptive　tracking　control　is　proposed　for　the　autonomous　underwater　vehicle　(AUV)　in　the　presence　of　external　disturbance.　Backstepping　control　of　the　system　dynamics　is　introduced　to　develop　full　state　feedback　tracking　control.　Using　backstepping　control,　minimal　learning　parameter　(MLP)　and　variable　structure　control　(VSC)　based　techniques,　the　robust　adaptive　tracking　control　is　presented　for　AUV　to　handle　the　uncertainties　and　improve　the　robustness.　The　proposed　controller　guarantees　that　all　the　close-loop　signals　are　semi-global　uniform　boundedness　and　that　the　tracking　errors　converge　to　a　small　neighborhood　of　the　desired　trajectory.　Finally,　simulation　studies　are　given　to　illustrate　the　effectiveness　of　the　proposed　algorithm.　©　2016　IEEE.