U.S. Navy creates new command to master drone warfare

The U.S. Navy has set up a new command to turn its growing collection of drones, unmanned boats and robotic submarines into tools sailors can actually fight with, naming Rear Adm. Melvin Smith as its first commander.

The Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center, known as RASWDC, is headquartered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia and falls under U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations formally established it this week. The Navy said the center will be the fleet’s single operational home for robotic and autonomous systems in the air, on the surface and under the sea.

“This is just day one,” said Rear Adm. Melvin Smith. “Our purpose here is to consolidate the Navy’s autonomous efforts across air, surface, and undersea domains, and give them a single home here at Little Creek. Our mandate is straightforward: educate our warfighters, equip the Fleet with tools that actually survive the environment, and develop the combined tactics to employ them decisively. We are here to make sure our forces don’t just field unmanned systems, but dominate with them.”

The center will test unmanned systems in realistic conditions, write the doctrine and tactics for using them, and build the training needed to certify sailors to operate them. It will also send performance data from testing, experiments and training back to the engineers and program managers who design and buy the systems.

“To maintain our decisive maritime advantage, we must rapidly integrate robotic and autonomous systems into how we operate, train, and deploy,” said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle. “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.”

The center is the operational half of a reorganization that began over the summer. On Aug. 5, the Navy created a Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Robotic and Autonomous Systems, a single office responsible for buying, budgeting, setting technical standards and fielding unmanned systems across the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The office is modeled on the one the Navy uses to manage submarine programs.

Christopher Miller, who also leads the Navy’s maritime acquisition portfolio, is serving as acting head of that office and reports directly to William Toti, who is performing the duties of Under Secretary of the Navy. The move replaced the head of the Navy’s previous drone acquisition office eight months after it was set up. The Navy said at the time it was reviewing whether to move the office’s staff out of Washington and closer to the fleet.

The new Navy office works alongside a Department of War-wide portfolio manager for unmanned offensive and defensive systems that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth established in late June. That office reports to Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg.

“RASWDC is the critical bridge between capability development and operational employment,” said Adm. Daryl Caudle. “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 Navy said RASWDC will not take over work done by its existing warfighting development centers, type commanders or systems commands. It will coordinate with them to share lessons and feed in new requirements.