{"id":37326,"date":"2021-09-08T20:29:35","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T20:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/09\/08\/us-navy-launches-mideast-drone-task-force-amid-iran-tensions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:37:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:37:55","slug":"us-navy-launches-mideast-drone-task-force-amid-iran-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/09\/08\/us-navy-launches-mideast-drone-task-force-amid-iran-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"US Navy launches Mideast drone task force amid Iran tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DUBAI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 The U.S. Navy\u2019s Mideast-based 5th Fleet said Wednesday it will launch a new task force that incorporates airborne, sailing and underwater drones after years of maritime attacks linked to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/12\/06\/uneasy-deterrence-reached-with-iran-says-top-us-navy-official-in-mideast\/\" target=\"_blank\">ongoing tensions with Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navy officials declined to identify which systems they would introduce from their headquarters on the island nation of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. However, they promised the coming months would see the drones stretch their capabilities across a region of chokepoints crucial to both global energy supplies and worldwide shipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/09\/08\/gilday-new-task-force-will-help-us-navy-speed-unmanned-system-integration\/\" 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=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6612962.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\">Gilday: New task force will help US Navy speed up unmanned system integration<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S. Navy has made significant progress with unmanned systems but needs to move faster \u2014 prompting the chief of naval operations to stand up a new task force to help usher unmanned systems into the fleet.<\/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\">\u201cWe want to put more systems out in the maritime domain above, on and below the sea,\u201d said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads the 5th Fleet. \u201cWe want more eyes on what\u2019s happening out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 5th Fleet includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/05\/11\/iran-rejects-claim-that-its-speedboats-sparked-encounter-with-us-vessels-in-strait-of-hormuz\/\" target=\"_blank\">the crucial Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 percent of all oil passes. It also stretches to the northern end of the Red Sea, near the Suez Canal, the waterway in Egypt linking the Mideast to the Mediterranean, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The systems being used by the 5th Fleet\u2019s new Task Force 59 will include some of those involved in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/04\/21\/navys-first-ever-unmanned-fleet-exercise-launches-off-west-coast\/\" target=\"_blank\">April test led by the Navy\u2019s Pacific Fleet<\/a>. Drones <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/09\/10\/navy-planning-unmanned-fleet-battle-problem-for-next-year\/\" target=\"_blank\">used in that exercise<\/a> included ultra-endurance aerial surveillance drones, the unmanned surface vessels Sea Hawk and Sea Hunter, and smaller underwater drones that resemble torpedoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3297\" height=\"2145\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573790116.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573790116.jpg.jpg 3297w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573790116.jpg.jpg?resize=300,195 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573790116.jpg.jpg?resize=768,500 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573790116.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,666 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573790116.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,999 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573790116.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1332 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3297px) 100vw, 3297px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sailors prepare a CARINA unmanned undersea drone off San Diego April 19. (Lt. Cmdr. Tony Wright\/Navy via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 5th Fleet includes shallow water areas, salty waters and temperatures in the summertime that can go above 113 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity. That can prove rough for crewed vessels, let alone those running remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think that environment really suits us well to experiment and move faster,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cAnd our belief is if the new systems can work here, they can probably work anywhere else and can scale them across other fleets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also represents a region that has seen a series of at-sea attacks in recent years. Off Yemen, bomb-laden drone boats and mines set adrift by Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels have damaged vessels amid that country\u2019s years-long war. Near the United Arab Emirates and the Strait of Hormuz, oil tankers have been seized by Iranian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Suspicious explosions also have struck vessels in the region, ranging from tankers owned by Western firms and ships tied to Israel to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/06\/02\/irans-largest-warship-catches-fire-sinks-in-gulf-of-oman\/\" target=\"_blank\">Iranian vessels<\/a>. Those attacks have become part of a wider shadow war playing out across the region in the wake of then-President Donald Trump\u2019s 2018 decision to unilaterally withdraw from Iran\u2019s nuclear deal with world powers. Iran even shot down an American drone amid the tensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While President Joe Biden has said he\u2019s willing to re-enter the deal, negotiations in Vienna have stalled as Iran now has a new hard-line president. That leaves open the possibility of further attacks by Iran \u2014 as well as by Israel, which has been suspected in incidents targeting Iranian shipping and its nuclear program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4894\" height=\"3247\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573730717.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573730717.jpg.jpg 4894w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573730717.jpg.jpg?resize=300,199 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573730717.jpg.jpg?resize=768,510 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573730717.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,679 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573730717.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1019 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21251573730717.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1359 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4894px) 100vw, 4894px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An ADARO unmanned drone passes by the littoral combat ship Oakland during a drill April 22 off Coronado, California. (MC2 Alex Perlman\/Navy via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooper acknowledged the tensions in his remarks to journalists Wednesday, but declined to go into specifics.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2021\/09\/07\/why-israels-transfer-to-us-central-command-could-help-deter-iran\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">Why Israel\u2019s transfer to US Central Command could help deter Iran<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re very aware of Iran\u2019s posture and we\u2019ll be prepared to deal with that appropriately,\u201d the vice admiral said. \u201cI\u2019m going to leave it at that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iran\u2019s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new Navy task force. However, it operates its own drone fleet and has published video in the past of flyovers of American aircraft carriers in the region. The U.S. military also has said fragments left by an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/08\/06\/heres-why-centcom-thinks-iran-was-behind-a-fatal-drone-attack-on-a-ship-last-month\/\" target=\"_blank\">attack in July off Oman<\/a> that killed two people on an Israeli-linked ship corresponded to Iranian military drones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe want to put more systems out in the maritime domain above, on and below the sea,\u201d said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. 5th Fleet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":70649,"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":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["flashpoints","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"9":{"categories":["unmanned","daily-brief","newsletters","home"],"primary_category":"unmanned"},"10":{"categories":["unmanned","unmanned-systems","newsletters","daily-news-roundup","naval"],"primary_category":"unmanned"}}},"categories":[101,8,23,88,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1105],"class_list":["post-37326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-left-column","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"T4UPFRWXRRAQ5GZAFSA7AUFSXI","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2021\/09\/08\/us-navy-launches-mideast-drone-task-force-amid-iran-tensions\/","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 launches Mideast drone task force amid Iran tensions - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cWe want to put more systems out in the maritime domain above, on and below the sea,\u201d said Vice Adm. 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