U.S. Trails In Sea Drone Warfare, Reuters Reports

The US Navy's efforts to build a fleet of unmanned vessels are faltering because the Pentagon remains wedded to big shipbuilding projects, according to some officials and company executives, exposing a weakness as sea drones reshape naval warfare, Joe Brock and Mike Stone reported for Reuters.

An initiative named Replicator, the purpose of which will be to deploy hundreds of small, relatively cheap air and sea drones within the next 18-24 months to match China's growing military threat is in the works. I Photo: U.S. Navy

The lethal effectiveness of sea drones has been demonstrated in the Black Sea, where Ukraine has deployed remote-controlled speed boats packed with explosives to sink Russian frigates and minesweepers since late 2022.

Yemeni-backed Houthi rebels have employed similar vessels against commercial shipping in the Red Sea in recent months, albeit without success.

The Navy has a budget of $172 million this year for small and medium-sized underwater sea drones, falling to $101.8 million in 2025, the spokesperson said. That's a tiny fraction of the $63 billion Navy procurement budget proposed by President Joe Biden's administration for 2025.

These tactics have caught the attention of the Pentagon, which is incorporating lessons from Ukraine and the Red Sea into its plans to counter China's rising naval power in the Pacific, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Reuters.

In a signal of the Pentagon's intent, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced an initiative in August - named Replicator - to deploy hundreds of small, relatively cheap air and sea drones within the next 18-24 months to match China's growing military threat.