Overview
- The Navy announced Thursday the creation of the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story and named Rear Adm. Melvin Smith as its first commander.
- RASWDC will operate under U.S. Fleet Forces Command and is charged with writing tactics, techniques, and procedures and running operational testing to prepare unmanned systems for fleet use.
- The center is designed to work in lockstep with the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for RAS, a separate August office that centralizes acquisition and standards, with Christopher Miller serving as acting DRPM RAS.
- The move follows operational precedent from CENTCOM’s Task Force 59 in June, when enabled unmanned vessels were used in a search-and-rescue for downed aircrew, showing a shift from experiment to real-world employment.
- Navy leaders say RASWDC will consolidate disparate programs, resolve command-and-control and resourcing questions, and create a fast feedback loop between sailors, testers, and developers so prototypes reach deployed units more quickly.