【Text by Observers Network, Yuan Jiaqi】

In August 2023, during the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Defense launched a military program called "Replicator" to quickly procure low-cost autonomous weapons to counter China's growing military strength. The goal was to deploy thousands of air, land, and sea-based artificial intelligence systems within two years, promoting the mass production of low-cost unmanned equipment to prepare for potential conflicts in the Pacific region.

However, two years later, this ambitious plan by the U.S. military did not meet its goals. On September 26 local time, U.S. media such as the Wall Street Journal cited informed sources saying that due to concerns about the slow progress of the plan, the work related to the "Replicator" initiative is now being transferred to a new department under the U.S. Special Operations Command - the Defense Autonomous Operations Group (DAWG).

The report pointed out that transferring the project to DAWG aims primarily to accelerate the project's progress and focus on developing the "most applicable weapons." An informed source revealed that DAWG currently has less than two years to deliver drones required by the U.S. Department of Defense. Such an urgent timeline highlights the urgency of the U.S. side, who believe that the United States must be ready as soon as possible for potential conflicts in the Pacific region.

The report stated that in recent years, China has rapidly expanded its fleet, aircraft, and high-tech weapon arsenal. U.S. officials are concerned that mainland China may be capable of taking military action against Taiwan as early as 2027.

Regarding the U.S. frequent provocation of military tension across the Taiwan Strait, at a regular press conference held on May 29, Zhang Xiaogang, a major general from the Ministry of National Defense, emphasized that Taiwan is part of China. How to resolve the Taiwan issue is the internal affair of the Chinese people, and no external interference is allowed. The biggest challenge facing the current situation in the Taiwan Strait comes from "Taiwan independence" separatist provocations and external forces' interference and sabotage. The actions taken by China to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity are entirely just and legal. We call on the U.S. to stop stoking tensions over the Taiwan issue, otherwise it will only bring trouble upon itself.

According to the Wall Street Journal, this project transfer happened against the backdrop of setbacks faced by the "Replicator" program and the frustration of relevant parties.

The report mentioned that the "Replicator" project is currently overseen by Rear Admiral Frank Donovan, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command. In August this year, when Donovan took over the project, he attended an event held in California. This event was supposed to showcase some advanced technologies acquired by the "Replicator" program, but according to participants in the exercise, the event instead exposed the problems that these systems were not yet ready for operational deployment.

According to the aforementioned informed sources, during the demonstration, a remotely operated boat manufactured by Black Sea Technologies experienced a rudder failure and eventually went out of control; an aerial drone developed by Anduril Industries had a delay in launch due to a possible fault in the launch tube; additionally, the software on multiple remotely operated boats failed to identify targets as expected, or there were cases of target misidentification.

Earlier this year, a senior U.S. Navy officer visited Black Sea Technologies' remotely operated boat in Baltimore. U.S. Navy

The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), based in Silicon Valley, had been responsible for the "Replicator" project until August this year. The organization's spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. However, some participants told the U.S. media that the exercise was successful and argued that taking risks and making mistakes in technological development is normal, rather than a defect of the project.

An informed source pointed out that although DIU helps introduce commercial technology into the military, the organization still needs to deal with many bureaucratic issues that have long existed in the U.S. defense department. For example, active-duty officers lacking technical expertise have dominated decisions on the procurement of large numbers of drones, and some platforms require significant additional modifications to achieve autonomous operation.

Another person familiar with the project said that among the dozens of autonomous systems purchased for the "Replicator" project, three were still unfinished or only in the conceptual stage at the time of selection. Some officials pointed out that the defects of the "Replicator" project also include: the drones procured by DIU use outdated technology, and the platforms and software were not rigorously tested before procurement.

According to an informed source, one mistake was purchasing hundreds of Black Sea Technologies' "Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft" (GARC). This type of unmanned vessel was not designed for complex long-range missions in the Pacific region, but U.S. Navy officers insisted on pushing for procurement without fully understanding its technical limitations. They also pointed out that the military repeatedly changed software systems and increased the complexity of functions, leading to rising costs and unnecessary delays. The U.S. Navy did not respond to requests for comment.

One of the largest procurement projects of the "Replicator" program is the "Switchblade" 600 drone, but this drone performed poorly in the Ukrainian war. According to informed sources, analysis by the U.S. Army Intelligence Center showed that in environments where communication was jammed, the "Switchblade" drones were easily attacked.

The manufacturer of the "Switchblade" drone, American Aerospace Environment Company, explained that based on several years of combat experience in Ukraine, the company has made significant improvements to this drone, significantly enhancing its performance in electronic warfare environments. However, according to informed sources, due to concerns about project delays, the U.S. Army refused to procure this improved model for the "Replicator" program.

Additionally, drones manufactured by different companies need to coordinate to locate potential targets and carry out strikes, but the U.S. Department of Defense has never been able to find software that can successfully control a large number of drones.

An informed source mentioned that during the "Project Kahuna" exercise held last year in the Pacific region, drones from different manufacturers connected by Anduril's software often encountered difficulties in coordinating tasks after going beyond the operator's line of sight.

Nevertheless, participants in the "Replicator" project all claimed that the project has achieved certain results, and gave different explanations for the delays. Some attributed the problems to the military's eagerness to purchase systems not yet ready for deployment, while others downplayed the impact, stating that these setbacks are normal occurrences in any ambitious rapid technology development attempt. They also said that this model is currently being adopted by other projects within the U.S. Department of Defense.

Aditi Kumar, former Chief Deputy of the DIU, also claimed, "Our goal is to fill capability gaps and build a more competitive market. For scalable technologies, we expand their application. At the same time, actively explore other promising technologies. I think it's reasonable to transfer the project to the Special Operations Command now."

This article is an exclusive piece by Observers Network. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7554683353459360271/

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