A deadly miniature air missile system launches ammunition from a Martac T-38 Devil Ray Unmanned Surface vehicle, attached to the Task Force 59 of the US Navy Forces, during exercise Digital Talon in the Arab Golf on October 23, 2023.Photo: Main Mass Communication -Specialist Justin Stumberg/US Navy
The armed USA attempts appear to be that it culminated in Project 33, a new initiative revealed as part of the Navigation Plan of Navigation of the Naval Operations in 2024 in September 2024, which focuses on targets, among others , “Scal[ing] Robotic and autonomous systems to quickly integrate more platforms ”in an apparent supplement to the larger replica village of the Pentagon, designed to extract US fleet with armed robotic boats before a possible future war with China.
“This navigation plan drives to two strategic purposes: readiness for the possibility of war with the People’s Republic of China by 2027 and the promotion of the long -term advantage of the Navy,” as Franchetti wrote at the time. “We will work on these purposes through two mutual reinforcing ways: the implementation of Project 33 and the expansion of the Navy’s contribution to the joint war -fighting ecosystem … By 2027 we will integrate tried -and -autonomous systems for routine -use by the commanders who will use it. ”
The Department of Defense seems to be confident that the robot pressure of the Navy will help prepare the US military for the possibility of war with China, but some seasoned military and defensive observers have their concerns. Van Riper points to Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030, a reorganization of the service before a striking island-hopping conflict against China in the Pacific, as the proof that the Pentagon has not yet learned the right lessons from Millennium Challenge 2002 .
The Marine Corps was known for being a quick response to air ground deployed worldwide, ‘tells of Riper to Wired. “Now it has sold or reduced itself from every element of combined arms, get rid of its armor, violate vehicles, mining and assault bridging capabilities, its infantry and aviation, all to buy missiles and quietly on defense Ocean. The Marine Corps got rid of existing capabilities in favor of unproven or undelivered abilities. “
Indeed, the US Army’s propensity to confirm the next generation of technology such as drone boats, as a one-size-fits-all-fighting solution, can be the tactical lessons darkened in combined weapons that are evident from the Ukrainian campaign in the Red Sea , says Van Riper.
“You should not use the use of drones in isolation with what Ukraine does,” says Van Riper. ‘We offered the fleet fleet [in Millennium Challenge 2002] With multiple challenges, which really is what combined arms are. What you do is present the enemy with a dilemma: If he tries to protect himself from threat A, he is vulnerable to threat B, and with threats C, D and E, he cannot handle it. In Ukraine, boats plus missiles and aircraft are harder for the Russians to respond. “
“I’m not sure that the US Army is equipped today to learn from these things,” he adds. “I am depressed from leadership at all levels, especially the naval services.”