Navy launches Robotics and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Navy is launching a new Robotics and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center (RASWDC) that is tasked with creating the tactics, techniques, and procedures for unmanned systems in the Navy, the service announced today. 

“RASWDC will draw on expertise from across the Navy — and across the country — in places that may not always be associated with naval power, but will be increasingly important to it,” RASWDC Commander Rear Adm. Melvin Smith said today during a ribbon-cutting ceremony establishing the command, according to a copy of his prepared remarks.

Headquartered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia, RASWDC is in the process of developing a phased implementation plan to tackle issues like command structure, mission relationships and resource requirements. The command is also responsible for overseeing the operational employment of RAS capabilities, according to the service. 

“The goal is not to replace the hard-earned expertise already resident across our Navy. It is to connect it. To bring separate efforts into a more coherent operational enterprise,” Smith added. “To make sure that the work underway in one part of the Fleet informs the work being done elsewhere. And to ensure the sailors and operators who employ these systems remain at the center of the conversation.” 

The creation of the warfighting development center coincides with the establishment of the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Robotic and Autonomous Systems (DRPM RAS) in August in an effort to advance RAS acquisition and fielding across the Navy and Marine Corps, the Navy said. The two bodies are designed to work in lockstep, with testing and training information from the development center to support fielding the systems.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle has indicated for months a desire to open a warfighting and development center for RAS, just like the Navy has for other communities like aviation, and surface and mine warfighting. For example, Caudle told reporters at the Sea Air Space Exposition in April that the Navy must move unmanned capabilities from individual units into composite mission sets. 

“To maintain our decisive maritime advantage, we must rapidly integrate robotic and autonomous systems into how we operate, train, and deploy,” Caudle said in a statement today. “The establishment of RASWDC ensures our Sailors are equipped with the tactical edge, advanced training, and specialized doctrine required to win the high-end fight.

“RASWDC is the critical bridge between capability development and operational employment,” Caudle added. “By forging a direct feedback loop, we are accelerating the delivery of unmanned capabilities from the foundry directly to the Fleet, ensuring our forces are postured to meet any challenge.”

The move comes after Caudle released his “Fighting Instructions” framework in February, where he unveiled his “hedge force strategy” that aims to pair unmanned systems with traditionally manned platforms to create a range of tailored options for combatant commanders. 

Additionally, the “Fighting Instructions” ordered the Navy to establish how fleet commanders and the joint force will integrate RAS into “service decisions like strategic laydown, dispersal, and global force management” since no model exists for RAS capabilities yet, per the guidance.