The U.S. Navy has launched a bold initiative with the establishment of the Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3 (USVRON 3), marking a significant shift in maritime strategy by integrating small drone boats, dubbed Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), into its fleet.

The new squadron, based in California, is set to advance the frontiers of unmanned naval operations with a host of GARCs, which promise to redefine reconnaissance and operational tactics in naval warfare.

This cutting-edge squadron will be operating these 16-foot autonomous vessels which are capable of traveling up to 700 nautical miles at six knots, with a staggering speed of 30 knots over 400 nautical miles, showcasing their impressive range and velocity.

The GARC’s affordability and versatility make it an integral part of the Navy’s pivot towards a more distributed form of maritime operations, wherein hundreds of these small craft, each costing less than $1 million, will soon be at the Navy’s disposal.

They learned how to launch, operate and recover the USVs from shore and ships at sea, and “they developed vignettes to explore the effectiveness of the platform, the autonomy and the payloads,” Vice Adm. Brendan McLane, the Naval Surface Force commander, told the audience. “It was a leap forward in capability validation and development.”

The Navy has positioned 400 of its most talented warfighters within this squadron to scale and experiment with these systems, pointing to the confidence and investment the military is channeling towards this initiative.

USVRON-3 “will be a cornerstone in building the foundational knowledge required to operate and maintain USVs and will spearhead the development of tactics, techniques and procedures for all USVs,” McLane said. That includes leading all efforts to develop command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, maneuver and movement, protection and sustainment.

In March, just two weeks after their initial training and days after receiving the vessels, squadron crews were operating the first GARCs with a carrier strike group off California’s San Clemente Island in the eastern Pacific during U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Integrated Battle Problem 24.1.

These drone boats aren’t just about expanding the Navy’s eyes and ears on the seas; they could potentially carry weapon systems. The GARCs and other drones, as per McLane, are poised to join a vast array of unmanned systems fulfilling multiple combat and support functions.

They represent a new weapons system depending on their payloads and are expected to complement the work of larger drones, with missions ranging from maritime security to antisubmarine warfare.

Embracing the “spirit of innovation” has been critical to this endeavor, as the Navy seeks to enhance its capabilities in the era of great power competition.

The new squadron came about as the Pentagon pushes ahead with its Replicator initiative, which aims to accelerate programs and field thousands of “attritable autonomous” systems across multiple domains by August 2025 to help the U.S. armed forces counter China’s military buildup.

The Pentagon has secured $500 million in funding for the first tranche in fiscal 2024 and has requested an additional $500 million for fiscal 2025. Additional tranches are being planned.

Other officials have also noted that the military needs to flesh out the tactics, techniques, procedures (TTPs) and training for how it will employ next-generation uncrewed systems.

Although the Navy’s release last week about USVRON Three did not explicitly mention Replicator or connect the unit to that effort, it appears that its future work could facilitate the integration of those types of systems into the fleet.

Relevant articles:
– U.S. Navy Stands Up New Unit to Run Small Drone Boats by the Hundreds, The Maritime Executive
– Navy ‘Hell Hounds’ Squadron Crafting Missions for Small, Lethal Drone Fleet, USNI News
– Navy stands up new robo-ship squadron as Pentagon pursues Replicator systems, DefenseScoop
– USS Leyte Gulf Completes Last Deployment as Ticonderoga Class Nears End, The Maritime Executive