Page 16: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2024)

Autonomy

All photos courtesy Mr. Dave Meron

U.S. Military’s Path Toward Uncrewed

By George Galdorisi or readers of Maritime Reporter and Engineer- the promise of providing the U.S. military with an asymmetric ing News, it is impossible to miss the impact of advantage over potential adversaries. Ukraine’s use of weapon- emerging technologies on changing the character ized uncrewed surface systems to attack Russian naval vessels

Fof warfare through the ages. From the time that our has demonstrated just one use of these multipurpose platforms.

cave-dwelling ancestors ? gured out how to fasten a sharpened The U.S. Navy has taken several actions to de? ne and ac- stone to the end of a sturdy stick, advances in weaponry have celerate its journey to have uncrewed platforms populate the decided the outcome of battles and the fate of nations. ? eet. These include publishing an UNMANNED Campaign

Today there are numerous technologies that have the prom- Framework, standing up an Unmanned Task Force, establish- ise to make an enormous impact on warfare in the third de- ing Surface Development Squadron One in San Diego and cade of the twenty-? rst century. Some of the most prominent Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One in Port Hueneme, include next generation ? ghter aircraft, quantum computing, CA, and conducting a large number of exercises, experiments stealthy bombers, arti? cial intelligence and unmanned tech- and demonstrations to evaluate uncrewed platforms, includ- nologies in all domains. ing the recently completed Integrated Battle Problem 2023.

In the maritime domain, and especially for the U.S. Navy, un- Indeed, in its vision for the “Navy After Next,” the Navy’s manned systems – especially uncrewed maritime systems – offer Force Design 2045 document envisions a ? eet of 500 ships, to include 350 crewed vessels and 150 uncrewed maritime vehicles. This represents a once-in-a-generation shift in the composition of the Navy ? eet and one that will place big bets on emerging technologies that can make uncrewed maritime vehicles more autonomous.

This U.S. Navy emphasis on uncrewed maritime vehicles was on full display at a major international military-industry event. Held in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Hilton Hawaiian Vil- lage in mid-November of this year, TECHNET Indo-Paci? c drew over 4,000 delegates from throughout the Indo-Paci? c region. As in previous years, the conference featured keynote speakers as well as breakout panels. 16 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • January 2024

MR #1 (1-17).indd 16 1/8/2024 1:32:40 PM