Unmanned Maritime Systems: Article Discussion

1 Unmanned Maritime Systems: Article Discussion Link to blog article https://unmannedparadise.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-future-of-unmannedmaritime-systems.html#more 3.4 Research Blog 1 – Unmanned Maritime Systems: Article Discussion The article by David Miller published on the U.S. Army website titled ‘The Future of Unmanned Maritime Systems’ on 16 November 2020 presented specific views about the direction development and practice of use of unmanned maritime systems is heading. The reality that will shape military operations will include the use of the maritime domain. Here, the understanding of the threats and capabilities of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps as they face the new environment is vital.

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2 Among the significant developments in the area are those from the private industry and from the Chinese government that is developing UMVs. Meanwhile, Russia is already ahead because of its current practice of utilizing UMVs in different capacities. The Russian Advanced Research Foundation founded in 2012 spearheads the use of the UMVs in the country and plans the use of full autonomous underwater and under-ice unmanned vehicles that should change the way it explores and exploits resources in the Arctic seas. One of the main Russian military policies according to Miller (2020) is the exploration and security of the Arctic. The other significant development from Russia is the single network intelligence and operations for all maritime and land assets which will allow convergence of control structures, principles, and technical solutions (Miller, 2020).

The U.S. Navy is also investing in the development of a portfolio of unmanned undersea vehicles as well as unmanned surface and aerial vehicles that will meet its strategic objectives.

The move should see affordable, lethal, scalable, and connected capabilities. The target will be realized faster than expected as the technology becomes better, cheaper, and smaller while the understanding of China’s and Russia’s developments to reach similar military goals also provides an impetus for the unmanned maritime vehicle operations in the U.S. In agreement with the Miller (2020) article a full-scale UMS deployment for the U.S. Navy is eminent and years of development are responsible for this eventuality. The advantages of the UMS together with the need to catch up with Russia are only part of the motivation for the rapid development. The main driver would be the improvement in the technology especially in the private sector, which helps to demonstrate the possibilities of operational scale. Working under the ice in the Arctic seas for hydrocarbon exploration is a viable and time-sensitive project given that energy security is of paramount importance for national defense. Beyond that, the

3 work of the military in support of civilian life can also form the basis of various UMS deployments. Supporting the rescue missions for private industry to secure trade and ensure the stability of the nation in maritime operations is critical. Recently there was an international blockade of trade that arise as a giant container ship blocked the Suez Canal (Ress, 2021). The waterway is one of the important routes used globally and its blockage for an extended period would mean that ships could only pass through the Arctic or the South China Sea. The development of UMS can provide new advantages allowing the navigation and use of the less desirable routes for humans. The UMS can play a critical role in rescue operations and also in the exploration of new maritime locations that were previously inaccessible and hard to exploit (Heo et al., 2017). Programs such as the Snakehead which will be the largest underwater drone are showing the promises of maritime operations and the successful use of the UMS (Trevithick, 2020). The underwater drone will allow fast and safe navigation of submarines and it can also have other payloads for research and rescue missions. It can also help in raids in the water and it may support larger-scale amphibious operations.

Some of the technologies to speed up the deployment of UMS include the battery which determines how long unmanned missions can take and the size of the instruments and functionalities each UMS can carry. Software that allows AI functionalities is also important in improving applications of UMS. Unfortunately, Miller (2020) did not delve deeper into ways that these specific changes will impact the continued modernization of military and non-military applications. Nevertheless, showing the commitment of the U.S. military to embrace the multidomain operations in their framework and warfighting concepts helps to underscore the role that UMS will play in enhancing U.S. Navy and Marine Corps capabilities.

4 Some additional comments to add to the article and the overview of the UMS include the improvement in policies for the administration of UMS that are critical to the maturation of the organizations such as the Navy that deal with UMS missions. Furthermore, the dangers facing the manned ships will now be easier to spot thanks to the increased development and use of unmanned vehicles as part of the sea fleet (Eckstein, 2019). The UMS will continue to support fleet transition, integration, and operation. Capacity for unmanned vehicles underwater will vary according to the operation needs, but the future will see both medium and large manned ships getting support and having permanently linked unmanned underwater vessels to improve collaboration, and speed up operational timelines.

5 References Eckstein, M. (2019, November 14). Navy refining unmanned surface, underwater vehicle command structures. USNI News. https://news.usni.org/2019/11/14/navy-refiningunmanned-surface-underwater-vehicle-command-structures Heo, J., Kim, J., & Kwon, Y. (2017). Technology development of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). Journal of Computer and Communications, 5(07), 28. https://doi.org/10.4236/jcc.2017.57003 Ress, D. (2021, April 3). Re. Luria: Suez canal blockage shows need for Navy focus on maritime choke points. Military.Com. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/03/rep-luriasuez-canal-blockage-shows-need-navy-focus-maritime-chokepoints.html Trevithick, J. (2020, December 28). Snakehead will be the largest underwater drone that U.S. nuclear submarines can deploy. The Drive. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38443/snakehead-will-be-the-largestunderwater-drone-that-u-s-nuclear-submarines-can-deploy