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A Barracuda unmanned surface vessel undergoes testing in southern Ukraine, on March 30, 2026. The multifunctional drone boat is developed by the Barracuda unit of the 40th Separate Coastal Defense Brigade, part of the 30th Marine Corps of the Ukrainian Navy. It features a modern tracking system, remote control, and artificial intelligence elements. (Photo by Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Unmanned warfare has now expanded to the high seas. Is the U.S. ready?

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By Vice Adm. Michael Connor (ret.) Yoni Tobin

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Participants discuss how emerging tech can drive breakthroughs in lethality at GDIT’s ‘Battlespace of the Future’ summit. Panelists include, from left: DefenseScoop Editor-in-Chief Jon Harper, General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems’ Chris Haynes, Army Lt. Col. William Taylor, Army’s Bhavanjot Singh, Marine Corps Col. Matthew Ritchie, and Rep. Patrick Harrigan (NC-10). (Scoop News Group photo)

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gives a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, 2026 in Quantico, Virginia. Secretary Hegseth delivered his State of the Force address to junior officers, enlisted leaders, and special guests including Anduril Industries co-founder Palmer Luckey. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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U.S. Navy Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources Vice Adm. John Skillman leads a town hall meeting onboard NSA Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, July 14, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brendan McCormack)

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Spc. Brandon Mack, a small unmanned aircraft system operator assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Combat Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, looks through his SMASH 2000L optic, a counter-sUAS tracking scope developed by SMARTSHOOTER, during rotation 26-02 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, Nov. 2, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Julian A. Winston)

Pentagon task force, Army announce billions in counter-drone tech awards

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. James Brooks, an infantry rifleman, with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB) in support of Operation Ardent Vanguard, patrols the southern border in Tecate, California, Aug. 25, 2026. Patrols help deter illegal crossing of the southern border. U.S. Northern Command is working side-by-side with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection within narrowly defined authorities to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border. (Dept. of Defense photo by Sgt. Nathan Hislop)

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Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command, participates in a small unmanned aircraft system demonstration with U.S. soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, at Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany, Sept. 1, 2026. As the pace of innovation accelerates and tactics continue to evolve, sAUS integration is becoming increasingly critical to adaptation on the modern battlefield by improving how units coordinate detection, tracking and response capabilities against emerging aerial threats. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri, AFRICOM public affairs)

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Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle shakes hands with Rear Adm. Melvin Smith, commander of Submarine Group Two (COMSUBGRU 2), at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center on Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Norfolk, Virginia, Sept. 24, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Bellino)

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SAN DIEGO (Aug. 6, 2025) – Seahawk, a Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) prototype, departs Naval Base Point Loma, California, Seahawk is a fully unmanned and autonomous vessel operated by Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron (USVRON) 1 and Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific in support of technology development, testing and evaluation. The surface force is integrating unmanned vessels into the fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn)

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