Overview

• A Sept. 3 memo from Navy Secretary John Phelan creates a deputy assistant secretary for robotic and autonomous systems, a dedicated program executive office and a portfolio acquisition executive.
• All RAS-related acquisition decisions and contracting actions, including awards and modifications, are paused for 30 days unless explicitly approved by the Navy acquisition executive.
• The sprint is underway under Okano to deliver an actionable plan, with weekly updates to Secretary Phelan and a final decision briefing at the end of the review.
• Analyses will map a consolidation of current programs into a minimal set of cohesive elements and outline a transition schedule, with roles of NAVSEA and NAVAIR not yet decided.
• Phelan expects the new offices to reach initial operating capacity within 90 days of the memo, and the move tracks broader DoD consolidation efforts that industry group AUVSI has endorsed.