NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. \u2014 Drones, robots and other uncrewed technologies will play an increasingly vital role in U.S. Marine Corps operations, according to the leader of the service\u2019s acquisition command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brig. Gen. David Walsh of Marine Corps Systems Command <\/b>laid out the prospective uses of drones and robots April 4 at the Navy League\u2019s Sea-Air-Space conference<\/a> in National Harbor, Maryland. He also detailed the tripwires, technical or otherwise, that could hamper effectiveness in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Corps\u2019 experimentation with systems that require no crew comes as part of an ambitious revamp of the service. Called Force Design 2030<\/a>, the plan seeks to make Marines nimbler and less detectable in contested areas. A Force Design document from 2022 mentions the Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel and \u201cswarming\u201d unmanned aircraft systems, among others, as an example. It also calls for drone capabilities to \u201cexpand and increase dramatically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEverything from what we\u2019re doing with LRUSV, we\u2019re starting to experiment with those types of platforms, from small to large,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cThey can move supplies and people and weapons around the battlefield,\u201d especially in dispersed or treacherous conditions in the Indo-Pacific, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how the Marine Corps may use uncrewed technology, according to Walsh:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uncrewed systems will be a \u201cpersistent sensor\u201d on battlefields<\/a> of the future, Walsh said, capable of spying in places too distant or too chaotic <\/b>to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPart of our role as a stand-in force is to do reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance,\u201d he said, referring to the concept of Marines constantly positioned close to an adversary. <\/b>\u201cSo, this is persistent eyes on the battlefield, on the shipping lanes, on the sea lanes, that allow us to identify targets, maintain custody of those targets and\u201d act accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Marine Corps\u2019 logistics system is especially in need of modernization<\/a>, Commandant Gen. David Berger has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Corps last month published an updated logistics doctrine for the first time since 1997, in an effort to adapt to an increasingly contested environment. Drones will be a part of the Corps\u2019 new logistics strategy, according to the doctrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walsh said Tuesday that there is a \u201chuge opportunity\u201d for machines when it comes to shuttling resources<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\tA \u2018persistent sensor\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Logistics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n