{"id":41903,"date":"2021-03-18T20:38:27","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T20:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/03\/18\/us-navys-new-unmanned-plan-leaves-some-unconvinced-the-service-can-stop-screwing-up-tech\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:26:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:26:33","slug":"us-navys-new-unmanned-plan-leaves-some-unconvinced-the-service-can-stop-screwing-up-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2021\/03\/18\/us-navys-new-unmanned-plan-leaves-some-unconvinced-the-service-can-stop-screwing-up-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"US Navy\u2019s new unmanned plan has \u2018buzzwords and platitudes\u2019 but few answers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Navy released March 16 its long-discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2020\/07\/21\/the-us-navy-is-trying-to-get-its-act-together-on-unmanned-systems\/\" target=_blank>Unmanned Campaign Plan<\/a>, intended to map the road ahead for the service\u2019s unmanned systems. But the plan is short on details and measurable goals, which left key national security leaders wondering if the service had anything else to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was really disappointed with the lack of substance,\u201d Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., said during a hearing with the House Armed Services\u2019 sea power subcommittee. \u201cI thought it was full of buzzwords and platitudes but really short on details.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most notably, the Navy did not seem to have many answers as to what changes it would make to avoid costly mistakes such as the Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle, an unmanned system that was expected to form the backbone of the littoral combat ship\u2019s mine-hunting mission package but was canceled in 2016 with hundreds of millions of dollars already sunk into the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/surface-navy-association\/2021\/01\/10\/unclear-on-unmanned-the-us-navys-plans-for-robot-ships-are-on-the-rocks\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ghost.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Unclear on unmanned: The US Navy\u2019s plans for robot ships are on the rocks<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Navy&#039;s plans for rapidly acquiring a Large Unmanned Surface Vessel to serve as an adjunct missile magazine for crewed warships has been hamstrung by a skeptical Congress.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">High-profile failures, such as the RMMV, are at the core of the Navy\u2019s credibility problem on Capitol Hill. And if the Unmanned Campaign Plan released to the public was part of the effort to restore Congress\u2019 trust, it\u2019s unclear how many were swayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith the recent acquisition failures on the last several ship classes, those of us on this committee are skeptical of the Navy\u2019s ability to shepherd this new technology into employable assets that contribute to the lethality of those forces,\u201d Luria said at the hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Vice Adm. James Kilby, the Navy\u2019s top requirements officer, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/Press-Office\/Press-Releases\/display-pressreleases\/Article\/2538616\/navy-marine-corps-release-unmanned-campaign-plan\/\" target=_blank>document released this week<\/a> was to serve explicitly as a framework while specific plans and timelines \u2014 even some systems under development today \u2014 are classified. In a March 16 roundtable with reporters, Kilby said the document signals the Navy is making progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen we tried to produce this, documented at an unclassified level, we really were just signaling a rallying around and an understanding that this is a complex thing,\u201d Kilby said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3648\" height=\"2736\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635763808977875269-rms-usnjpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66097\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635763808977875269-rms-usnjpg.jpg 3648w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635763808977875269-rms-usnjpg.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635763808977875269-rms-usnjpg.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635763808977875269-rms-usnjpg.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635763808977875269-rms-usnjpg.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635763808977875269-rms-usnjpg.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3648px) 100vw, 3648px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">130822-N-EW716-001\rPACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 22, 2013) The littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2) deploys a remote multi-mission vehicle (RMMV) while testing the ship&#8217;s mine countermeasures mission package (MCM) off the southern California coast.  (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Austal USA\/Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The document also outlines that the Navy is shifting away from a focus on building large, expensive platforms and instead focusing more on fielding capabilities with an eye to how unmanned systems can be useful in meeting naval requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThrough a capabilities-based approach we can build a future where unmanned systems are at the front lines of our competitive advantage,\u201d the document read. \u201cThe Naval force needs to move toward a capability-centric proactive environment able to incorporate unmanned systems at the speed of technology, to provide maximum agility to the future force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That approach may differ from the approach taken with the RMMV, which was conceived from the outset as means to \u201cget the man out of the minefield\u201d by having an unmanned system find and neutralize a mine. The technology proved unreliable and unworkable, and the Navy has yet to field its replacement system for the LCS mine warfare mission package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The subject of the RMMV came up at the hearing Thursday, after Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., used it to illustrate a point about preventing programs from lingering long after it appears unlikely they\u2019ll succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe program went on entirely too long, we didn\u2019t take lessons learned and we sacrificed needed capability based on the promise that something better would be coming along,\u201d Wittman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jay Stefany, the Navy\u2019s interim assistant secretary for research, development and acquisition, told Wittman that the service\u2019s early prototyping effort lets officials look at developing technologies earlier, allowing the Navy to make more informed decisions about moving forward with programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPart of our effort is now to build one or two prototypes and get it into sailors\u2019 and Marines\u2019 hands,\u201d Stefany said. \u201c[They can] use it, see if it\u2019s reliable and see if it\u2019s going to meet the intent that we need it for, make sure our engineering community is heavily involved to make sure it\u2019s going to have the tried-and-true reliability when we get it out there. And if we see a need, to do both land-based and at-sea testing before we move forward with acquiring them in quantity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/surface-navy-association\/2020\/01\/13\/heres-5-things-you-should-know-about-the-us-navys-plans-for-big-autonomous-missile-boats\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"219\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fsv_ghost.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">5 things you should know about the US Navy\u2019s plans for autonomous missile boats<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Here&#039;s everything you need to know about the Navy&#039;s effort to field a large unmanned surface vessel, and what&#039;s ahead in 2020.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>\u2018It was just very thin\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But if the Navy plans to move away from a platform-focused approach and toward thinking about capabilities and how unmanned systems could provide them, there was precious little of that in the document, said Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former senior aid to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, who is now retired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere was really no discussion about what missions or operational applications they saw as being useful for unmanned systems to perform,\u201d Clark said. \u201cAnd so it\u2019s hard for the reader to understand: \u2018Well, what\u2019s so compelling about these unmanned systems that we need to spend money and time on them?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey didn\u2019t do a very good job of describing what missions they thought were most amenable to unmanned systems and why they were important for those missions. And that would be a way to explain why it\u2019s so important that they develop them. It also didn\u2019t explain why certain ones are going to have a high priority, because they deal with very high-priority missions,\u201d he added. \u201cIt was very thin on that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That becomes an issue when one of the main goals of the document was to close a credibility gap with lawmakers who view the Navy\u2019s track record as less than stellar in bringing along new technologies, Clark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPart of the goal here is to reassure Congress and leaders in the government that the Navy\u2019s got a good plan for its unmanned systems portfolio, and that it should be supported in its proposed budgets,\u201d Clark said. \u201cIf I read this from the congressional perspective, I\u2019m kind of like: \u2018OK, well, this describes what you\u2019re doing. I get zero sense of why you think it\u2019s important that we invest in the next generation of these things because I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re going to do.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The framework as released lacks any milestones or mechanisms for Congress to hold the Navy accountable, which is a major problem if the service wants to restore trust on Capitol Hill, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf this is the centerpiece of the campaign plan document, it really missed the opportunity to describe how the Navy was going to go about maturing these systems and over what time periods,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause they talk about accountability being one of the reasons they did the campaign plan, yet I don\u2019t see any mechanisms in there that I could use, if I was Congress, to hold people accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The framework is also missing an organizational signal that the Navy is changing its ways in order to improve its track record on fielding new systems, such as creating a new office or empowering an existing office with new authorities. That stands in contrast with Navy\u2019s push toward a reliable communications network that connect weapons, sensors and platforms over a wide area like the Western Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kilby told reporters there the Navy will not reorganize itself around advancing unmanned systems. He said the Navy has delivered unmanned systems in the past but not in a focused way and not as part of a broader effort to match those systems with missions in the fleet. Increased threats from peer competitors have put a new sense of urgency into those initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That has increased the sense of urgency inside the service, he said, and the Navy is committed to fielding a \u201chybrid\u201d fleet of manned and unmanned systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not an advocate of reorganizing for reorganizing sake,\u201d Kilby said. \u201cI am an advocate of understanding the problem [and] going after it, which is what we\u2019re trying to do with this plan.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Navy&#8217;s new unmanned campaign plan lands with mixed reviews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":76244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":16,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"}}},"categories":[8,160,16,36,27,167],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3361],"class_list":["post-41903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-naval","category-newsletters","category-unmanned","category-unmanned-systems"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"ENXERVUCAFGL5K3QZIMWTTG3DQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/naval\/2021\/03\/18\/us-navys-new-unmanned-plan-leaves-some-unconvinced-the-service-can-stop-screwing-up-tech\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US Navy\u2019s new unmanned plan has \u2018buzzwords and platitudes\u2019 but few answers - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Navy&#039;s new unmanned campaign plan lands with mixed reviews.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Navy\u2019s new unmanned plan has \u2018buzzwords and platitudes\u2019 but few answers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Navy&#039;s new unmanned campaign plan lands with mixed reviews.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2021\/03\/18\/us-navys-new-unmanned-plan-leaves-some-unconvinced-the-service-can-stop-screwing-up-tech\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-18T20:38:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:26:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David B. Larter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David B. Larter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/18\\\/us-navys-new-unmanned-plan-leaves-some-unconvinced-the-service-can-stop-screwing-up-tech\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/18\\\/us-navys-new-unmanned-plan-leaves-some-unconvinced-the-service-can-stop-screwing-up-tech\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": 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