【By Observer Net, Chen Sijia】"The U.S. Navy is building a fleet of unmanned boats to counter China, but has repeatedly failed." According to Reuters on August 20, multiple insiders have revealed for the first time that the U.S. Navy recently conducted two advanced unmanned boat test missions, but both missions ended in failure due to software failures or human errors that caused the unmanned boats to go out of control.

In May this year, the U.S. Navy removed Kevin Smith, the head of the Unmanned and Small Combat Ships Program Office, from his position. The internal chaos within the procurement department has also negatively impacted the progress of the U.S. Navy's unmanned vessel projects. According to sources, during a meeting last month, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Van Berg raised doubts about the cost-effectiveness of some procurement projects.

Analysts point out that the recent series of failures experienced by the U.S. Navy further indicate that the development of U.S. drone technology still faces significant challenges. The New York Times previously stated that the U.S. drone industry will need a lot of time and money to meet the needs of the U.S. military.

Consecutive test failures, military ambitions hindered

Four insiders told Reuters that the U.S. Navy conducted a small unmanned boat test off the coast of California in June, but one of the unmanned boats suddenly accelerated during the test, causing a tugboat involved in the test to capsize, and the captain of the tugboat was thrown into the sea.

In July, the U.S. Navy conducted another test off the coast of California, showcasing the U.S. Department of Defense's top unmanned boat project. Video obtained by Reuters showed that during the test, one of the unmanned boats unexpectedly shut down. While officials were busy repairing the software failure, another unmanned boat collided with the starboard side of another vessel, crossed the deck, and fell into the water. Dozens of insiders said that the incident involved two unmanned vessels developed by Saronic Technologies and Black Sea Technologies.

According to an anonymous insider, both accidents were caused by software failures or human errors, including communication breakdowns between onboard systems and external software.

Reuters reported that the U.S. Navy, Saronic Technologies, and Black Sea Technologies all declined to comment on the relevant reports.

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukraine has developed unmanned boats capable of carrying weapons, explosives, and reconnaissance equipment, with a cost of about $250,000 each. These unmanned boats can be remotely controlled to carry out suicide attacks. The Ukrainian army has used such equipment to attack Russia on multiple occasions. The report said this has drawn the attention of U.S. military leaders, who see the great potential of unmanned vessels.

The United States is striving to build a fleet of unmanned vessels capable of autonomous cluster operations without manual command, which costs more than the unmanned vessels developed by Ukraine, with each ship costing millions of dollars. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense launched a $1 billion program to purchase thousands of drones and unmanned boats and their control software.

According to procurement records, the U.S. Navy has provided at least $160 million to Black Sea Technologies, a company that produces dozens of unmanned reconnaissance boats per month. Saronic Technologies also has the capability to produce unmanned boats, having earned at least $20 million through prototype contracts, but has not yet announced any major contracts.

May 2024, San Diego, Colorado Naval Base, California, U.S. Navy's unmanned reconnaissance boat, Reuters

After President Trump returned to the White House, developing unmanned vessels became a key military project. In April this year, the U.S. Navy's Unmanned and Small Combat Ships Program Office (PEO USC) released a statement saying that the ship control software developed by Black Sea Technologies was successfully demonstrated, marking "a crucial step forward in advancing maritime unmanned operations."

In June, the acting Chief of Naval Operations, James Kirkpatrick, said: "These systems will play a key role in future naval warfare, expanding the range of fleet operations, enhancing situational awareness, and strengthening combat power." Last month, the Trump administration pushed through the "Big and Beautiful" tax and spending bill, allocating nearly $5 billion for the development of unmanned vessels.

However, analysts point out that a series of recent failures by the U.S. Navy indicate that there are still many difficulties in the development of its unmanned vessel projects. Brian Clark, an expert at the Hudson Institute, said that the test failures reflect the serious challenges the U.S. Navy is facing in developing this new technology.

He said: "The U.S. Navy needs to adjust its strategy after better understanding what these systems can and cannot do."

Internal turmoil within the U.S. Navy, procurement projects face scrutiny

Aside from technical challenges, the U.S. Navy has also encountered a series of problems. In May this year, the U.S. Navy removed Kevin Smith, the head of the Unmanned and Small Combat Ships Program Office, from his position because the Navy Inspector General's office confirmed complaints against him, leading the Navy to lose confidence in his leadership ability. Reuters found that the chaos in the procurement department has also affected the progress of the U.S. Navy's unmanned vessel projects.

Two insiders revealed that after the recent test accident, the Defense Innovation Unit of the U.S. Department of Defense has indefinitely suspended a $20 million contract with L3 Harris Technologies, one of the companies providing part of the unmanned vessel control software to the U.S. military. The Defense Innovation Unit and L3 Harris Technologies both declined to comment on the relevant information.

Other insiders said that the U.S. Navy's Unmanned and Small Combat Ships Program Office is under review and may be reorganized or closed. At a meeting last month, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Van Berg expressed dissatisfaction with some procurement projects being carried out by the U.S. Navy, questioning whether these projects are cost-effective.

The U.S. military seeks to develop unmanned vessels to "counter China," but U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin admitted that the United States has clearly fallen behind China in drone technology. The New York Times published an article on July 13 stating that more than a dozen U.S. military officials and drone industry experts also said that the United States lags behind in drone manufacturing, operational training, and defense.

The New York Times pointed out that in the civilian drone field, U.S. drones are also unable to compete with Chinese companies, and in terms of production, they are far behind China. To make the U.S. drone industry meet the needs of the U.S. military, it will require a lot of time and money.

Recently, U.S. politicians have frequently hyped up the "China threat theory," claiming that it is necessary to develop aerial drones and maritime unmanned vessel fleets to "contain China." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian previously stated that he hopes the U.S. will stop generalizing the concept of security, stop hyping up the so-called "China threat," and stop smearing and interfering with China's normal foreign trade and economic cooperation.

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