ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec, 6, 2024) – A Mission Specialist Defender Mark IV remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) transits the Atlantic Ocean submerged during the Australia, United Kingdom and U.S. (AUKUS) Pillar II Subsea and Seabed Warfare Event Two/Integrated Battle Problem 25.1. During the event, U.S. Navy, Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy personnel launched, tested and provided demonstrations for several unmanned underwater vehicles, to include the Mission Specialist Defender Mark IV remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) and the IVER4 900 autonomous-underwater vehicle. The AUKUS Advanced Capabilities line of effort – known as Pillar II – is a seminal strategic partnership and technology accelerator for the three AUKUS nations to harness and uplift innovation enterprises and industrial bases, remove barriers to cooperation, and deliver advanced capabilities for AUKUS warfighters. (Image produced utilizing a screen capture from video.) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Justin E. Yarborough)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth operates a touch screen to remotely control a helicopter from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Arlington, Va., Nov. 14, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
A US soldier prepares an interception drone of the American MEROPS counter drone system to launch during tests at the Nowa Deba military training ground, south-eastern Poland, on November 18, 2025. (Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP) (Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Daryl Caudle testifies in a
budget hearing for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense to
discuss the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 budget and strategic posture in
Washington, D.C., May 12, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass
Communication Specialist Elliott Fabrizio).
Marine Raiders with Fox Company, 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, provides perimeter security, at an undisclosed location Dec. 16, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. Jared Saul)
“The ability to quickly integrate autonomous behaviors on multiple different platforms in multiple different domains, without it having to be specifically built for that platform, is something…
Anthony Kavanaugh, left, a drone operator with a U.S. Army Unmanned Aerial Systems Mission Assurance team, operates a small-UAS while Ari Snipes, right, a drone operator with a U.S. Army UASMA team, prepares a s-UAS at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., April 23, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)
"There is no 'silver bullet' to address this challenge," said the task force director. "And this pilot program integrates cutting-edge technology into the department's broader counter-drone toolkit."
A U.S. Marine Corps XQ-58A Valkyrie, highly autonomous, low-cost tactical unmanned air vehicle, conducts its second test flight with two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to 33rd Fighter Wing, 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 23, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John McRell)
The Marine Corps is targeting 2029 to begin operational testing of its MUX TACAIR drone, while simultaneously exploring how exquisite unmanned systems can be used for other…
The Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray conducts its initial flight April 25 at Boeing’s facility at MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Ill. The aircraft completed a controlled test flight to evaluate basic handling and performance in preparation for future carrier-based operations. (Photo courtesy of Boeing)