How The U.S. Army’s ‘Navy’ Aims To Go More Autonomous With Its Vessels In The Pacific
Summary
The U.S. Army is actively working to integrate autonomous capabilities into its existing and future fleet of amphibious and logistics watercraft, with plans to acquire up to 100 new uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to strengthen its maritime presence in the Pacific. Major General Frederick Crist of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command outlined these ambitions at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual symposium, emphasizing the importance of expanding theater distribution capabilities west of the International Date Line. A key milestone in this effort was a August 2024 experiment in which maritime autonomy firm Sea Machines successfully retrofitted the commercial vessel HOS Resolution with its SM300 autonomous navigation software in just nine days, demonstrating the feasibility of converting existing vessels into optionally-crewed or fully autonomous platforms. The Army also plans to expand its forward-deployed watercraft presence in Japan, including establishing a second composite watercraft company at Yokohama North Dock under the newly redesignated 45th Sustainment Brigade. Beyond its own fleet, the Army intends to leverage commercially owned and operated vessels through U.S. Transportation Command contracting, creating a broad, layered maritime logistics portfolio to support potential Pacific conflict scenarios.
Key Takeaways
- 1. The U.S. Army plans to acquire up to 100 purpose-built uncrewed surface vessels to bolster its Pacific maritime logistics capabilities
- 2. Sea Machines successfully integrated autonomous navigation software onto the HOS Resolution in just nine days, proving rapid retrofitting of existing vessels is achievable
- 3. The Army envisions a phased approach to autonomy, beginning with navigation assistance and progressing toward fully uncrewed vessel operations
- 4. Two composite watercraft companies will be established west of the International Date Line, commanded under the newly reflagged 45th Sustainment Brigade in Japan
- 5. The Army's maritime strategy will combine its own crewed vessels, retrofitted autonomous platforms, and commercially contracted ships to create a diverse and flexible logistics network