The US Navy has unveiled its latest strategic asset in maritime warfare – the Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron Three (USVRON Three).

This unit, established within the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Surface Force, signifies a paradigm shift in naval operations with the integration of the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), small unmanned vessels produced by Maritime Applied Physics Corporation.

Capt. Derek Rader, the commanding officer of the newly formed squadron, expressed the transformative potential of unmanned systems, stating, “The integration of unmanned surface vessels into Navy and joint operations will be accomplished through experimentation with the fleet testing and doctrine drafted by operators you see today, who embody and execute the warfighting that we need to achieve to enable the full potential of unmanned systems.”

USVRON Three, which was officially stood up on May 17 at Naval Base San Diego, will be a cornerstone in the U.S. Navy’s journey toward a hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned systems.

With the vision to bolster warfighting capabilities and strengthen the fleet’s tactical and strategic advantages, these autonomous vessels will work in concert with carrier strike groups and surface action groups, while maintaining the ability to operate independently.

The establishment of this squadron aligns with the Pentagon’s larger ‘Replicator’ initiative, aimed at accelerating the deployment of thousands of ‘attritable autonomous’ systems across multiple domains by August 2025.

During a congressional hearing last week, Nickolas Guertin, the acquisition chief for the Department of the Navy, said the DON is supportive of Replicator, but he also noted that it’s not just a matter of scaling production.

“One other aspect to that is when we’re looking at these kinds of initiatives, we want to make sure we carry forward the sustainability and support work to make sure that our … [service members] can actually use this stuff in a reliable way when they need to in a fight,” he told lawmakers.

Vice Adm. Brendan McLane, commander of the Naval Surface Forces U.S. Pacific Fleet, highlighted the operational advantage of unmanned systems, noting that “The Navy is placing unmanned systems in the hands of 400 of our most talented warfighters to help integrate, scale, experiment, and employ these systems.”

“There are currently no boundaries, and we have an incredible opportunity to determine what right looks like within our sphere of influence,” said SURFDEVGRU Director Cdre. Shea Thompson.

“We collectively are writing the instruction manuals, qualification standards, concepts of operations and developing the tactics, techniques, and procedures for employment of these platforms,” he said.

The new unit, the “Hell Hounds” of Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3, has received the first four Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft of what’s expected to be “hundreds” of unmanned surface vessels that will deploy and operate with the surface force’s guided-missile destroyers, Navy officials said.

It came about three months after Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, established a new “robotics warfare specialist” general rating.

“RW Sailors will enable Robotic and Autonomous System (RAS) operations and maintenance at the tactical edge. RWs will be the subject matter experts for computer vision, mission autonomy, navigation autonomy, data systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning on our RAS platforms,” according to a NAVADMIN announcement from Franchetti.

Those experts will be part of the new squadron, according to the service.

Relevant articles:
– Naval Surface Force Forms New Squadron Dedicated to USVs; Derek Rader Quoted, ExecutiveGov
– Navy stands up new robo-ship squadron as Pentagon pursues Replicator systems, DefenseScoop
– Navy ‘Hell Hounds’ Squadron Crafting Missions for Small, Lethal Drone Fleet, USNI News
– Category: Headlines, Seapower