Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said the U.S. Navy is working to build a fleet of unmanned surface vessels and an integrated network of systems to increase maritime awareness in the Middle East.
The Fifth Fleet, one of the three Navy components being led by Cooper, collaborates with private and academic entities in an effort to deploy unmanned platforms with artificial intelligence technology in the region, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said Wednesday.
Cooper told attendees at a recent conference in the U.K. that a partner network has the potential to increase domain awareness among U.S. and allied naval forces by up to 40 times with the use of data from interconnected sensors.
“Every partner and every sensor offers new information that can be added to what we call the ‘Digital Ocean,’ an intelligent synthesis of around-the-clock inputs encompassing thousands of images,” he added.
NAVCENT formed a task force in September 2021 to support the Fifth Fleet’s unmanned-AI technology integration efforts. The numbered fleet aims to launch USVs by the summer of 2023, according to NAVCENT.
Time is running out to reserve your seat at the Potomac Officers Club’s Annual Navy Summit on June 2, which will feature Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro as the keynote. Visit the POC Events page to register for this in-person event that will be held at The Ritz–Carlton in McLean, Virginia.