{"id":33265,"date":"2023-02-21T14:50:05","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T14:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2023\/02\/21\/admiral-gilday-sees-uncrewed-vessels-as-critical-to-us-navys-future\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:49:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:49:54","slug":"admiral-gilday-sees-uncrewed-vessels-as-critical-to-us-navys-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/unmanned\/2023\/02\/21\/admiral-gilday-sees-uncrewed-vessels-as-critical-to-us-navys-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Admiral Gilday sees uncrewed vessels as critical to US Navy\u2019s future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SAN DIEGO \u2014 Uncrewed vessels with the ability to jam electronics, spy on faraway activities and even help coordinate the flow of fighting will play an increasingly important role in the service\u2019s mission, according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work to realize such a concept, he said Feb. 16 at the West 2023 conference<\/a> in San Diego, is already underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThink about medium unmanned vessels that have [command-and-control] capabilities, that have [electronic warfare] capabilities, that can, perhaps, even have cyber capabilities,\u201d said Gilday, who once led Fleet Cyber Command. \u201cThat kind of work is happening now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy is investing in uncrewed systems \u2014 in the air, on the water and beneath the surface \u2014 to augment existing and near-future military might. A recent update to Gilday\u2019s \u201cNavigation Plan,\u201d a strategic-vision-style document, included an outline of a fleet comprising about 373 manned ships and 150 uncrewed vessels, Defense News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By dispatching uncrewed vessels into areas previously neglected, understaffed or thought too dangerous, the Navy can broaden its field of view and stay engaged for longer periods of time, Gilday told conference attendees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting to the point, probably within the next four or five years, where we\u2019ll begin to deploy unmanned platforms with carrier strike groups\u201d and amphibious ready groups<\/a>, he said. \u201cAnd the idea is that we need more ships, we need more. We need to distribute ourselves across the Pacific Ocean and across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can do that faster and, we think, more effectively by having a combination of manned and unmanned,\u201d Gilday said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t