The U.S. Navy formally established the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center (RASWDC) on Thursday at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia, creating a dedicated organization to accelerate the integration of robotic and autonomous systems into fleet operations.
The center, announced by Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, is an Echelon 3 warfighting development center operating under U.S. Fleet Forces Command. It will serve as the Navy’s Fleet-facing operational integration point for robotic and autonomous capabilities, according to a Navy press release.
Rear Adm. Melvin Smith has been designated as the inaugural commander of RASWDC. He is leading a phased near-, mid-, and long-term implementation plan that includes developing the command structure, mission relationships, and resource requirements as the organization progresses toward full operational capability.
“To maintain our decisive maritime advantage, we must rapidly integrate robotic and autonomous systems into how we operate, train, and deploy,” Caudle said in a statement. “The establishment of RASWDC ensures our Sailors are equipped with the tactical edge, advanced training, and specialized doctrine required to win the high-end fight.”
RASWDC operates alongside the recently announced Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Robotic and Autonomous Systems (DRPM RAS). While DRPM RAS handles acquisition, requirements, budgeting, technical standards, and fielding, RASWDC focuses entirely on operational employment. Together, the organizations create a feedback loop between the acquisition enterprise and operational forces, with RASWDC returning empirical performance data to developers and program managers.
The center has three core missions, according to Caudle: develop warfighting concepts, train sailors, and field and test new technology. It will test uncrewed platforms in realistic operational conditions, including environments with degraded or denied communications.
“Systems that work will move forward. Systems that do not will be improved, redirected, or stopped,” Caudle wrote in an administrative message. “The measure of success is not how many prototypes we demonstrate. It’s how much combat power we can repeatedly generate, deploy, sustain, and adapt.”
“A prototype is not combat power,” Caudle said. “Combat power comes when a trained sailor can employ a reliable system, supported by the right networks, logistics, maintenance, software, tactics, authorities, and command relationships, to create an operational effect.”
Smith said the center will consolidate the Navy’s autonomous efforts across air, surface, and undersea domains. “Our mandate is straightforward: educate our warfighters, equip the Fleet with tools that actually survive the environment, and develop the combined tactics to employ them decisively,” he said. “We are here to make sure our forces don’t just field unmanned systems, but dominate with them.”
RASWDC will not replace existing warfighting development centers, type commanders, systems commands, or operational commands, but will coordinate with them to incorporate emerging requirements and share lessons learned.
The establishment follows Caudle’s earlier unveiling of a “Hedge Strategy” that includes a major role for uncrewed systems, and a Sept. 2 C-NOte calling for swift integration of lasers into the fleet. The center will develop doctrine, tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as an advanced tactical instruction framework to certify and deploy the platforms.
Sources: DVIDS News · DefenseScoop