the u.s. navy is trying to transform its fleet with disruptive technology
2024-09-16
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reference news reported on september 15according to the u.s. naval institute news website on september 5, a panel of experts studying disruptive capabilities said on the 4th that the u.s. navy must be willing to accept the risks brought by new systems and new technologies to avoid being caught off guard like russia in the black sea.
“speed is important,” said michael stewart, executive director of the navy’s new disruptive capabilities office (dco). the dco is focused on near-term problems, such as the situation the kremlin faces over ukraine’s successful use of unmanned surface vessels.
according to reports, stewart said at a defense press conference, "how to use disruptive technologies to supplement (aircraft carrier battle groups and other formations) to catch opponents off guard."
the russians failed to do so, with around a third of their black sea fleet’s ships destroyed by kiev’s armed unmanned surface systems and missiles.
stewart added: “what worked since 1945 may not work now.”
stewart, who leads the navy's unmanned task force, said his team will ask fleet commanders what problems they need solved when they go to them.
“we are disrupting tradition and bringing technology into the fleet,” said capt. colin corridan, who recently left command of task force 59. he said the task force is a test bed for integrating unmanned systems and artificial intelligence with maritime operations in the 5th fleet’s area of operations.
today, he added, in stewart’s office, “i see software updates every few hours and hardware improvements every few days” as industry players work closely with u.s. navy operators at the bahrain headquarters.
dorothy engelhalter, deputy assistant secretary of the navy for ship programs who oversees unmanned systems, said that for complex systems like aircraft, “it can take 18 to 19 months to modify the software,” but the navy has a tradition of operating on 30-year-old platforms.
stewart also said that thinking about where to invest resources like a venture capitalist by taking risks, reviewing quickly, accepting failure and moving on is the direction the navy should follow.
this includes bringing in non-traditional industry partners with new ideas and novel solutions to current problems and future threats.
corridan said that when he took over as the second commander of task force 59, he said to himself, "i'm going to take this new unit to the warehouse." he later said, "we're going to solve a serious problem" - from surveillance from the air to continuous maritime domain awareness capabilities on the surface to show what can be done, an approach "we call it a battle lab."
stewart said, "two or three years ago, i would have said ai was important," but would not explain why. "task force 59 showed us the reality of ai," including its limitations.
looking ahead, corridan believes that commanders can use data not only proactively but also predictively.
