Don’t Expect Navy Robots In South China Sea Anytime Soon, CNO Says

PEARL HARBOR (June 29, 2022) – Sea Hunter, an autonomous unmanned surface vehicle, arrives at Pearl Harbor to participate in the Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aiko Bongolan

Unmanned craft should account for 40 percent of the U.S. Navy’s surface force and 60 percent of its aircraft by 2040, the chief of naval operations said Wednesday. But although the Navy may be the service branch that’s leaning hardest into autonomy, Adm. Michael Gilday said his service still has “more work to do in terms of learning how we bring those technologies together” before it launches big human-machine teaming experiments in the South China Sea.

The Navy has long been a leader in artificial intelligence and autonomy, driven by the high costs of manning ships. In 2014, when other branches were still grappling with remotely-piloted vehicles, a Navy experiment ...