Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Centre Established

The Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Centre, formally established on September 24 in Virginia, will develop doctrine and tactics for unmanned systems, train sailors to use them, and test whether they can keep operating under realistic conditions.

In a message marking the centre’s launch, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle said the navy had spent years developing and testing robotic systems, but much of that work had taken place separately across different warfighting domains.

“The next step is integration,” he said, adding that proving an individual system worked was not enough. “A prototype is not combat power.”