Luke C. Hahn
As technological innovation coincides with regional tensions within the Indo-Pacific, it is evident that autonomous maritime systems will play an active role in the region’s national security architecture. Particularly, unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and unmanned underwater vessels (UUVs) have captivated navies worldwide due to their expansive operational capabilities for relatively low cost. Rising powers in Southeast Asia must bolster these systems to help balance power, especially as China-U.S. competition threatens to destabilize regional autonomy and security.
Around the world, governments have placed greater emphasis on the development and implementation of autonomous systems in their arsenal, in large part due to their usefulness as a battlefield equalizer, especially between smaller militaries and major powers. As seen during Ukraine’s naval campaign in the Black Sea against Russia, USVs can deny adversaries naval maneuverability while providing land forces more precise naval operations from extended distances. They offer strong surveillance, reconnaissance, and direct impact capabilities for relatively cheap.
Pacific naval powers have realized the importance of implementing autonomous systems in their arsenal, with dedicated officers and teams tasked with managing them. The United States, upon passing the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act in December of last year, incorporated the need for “an appropriate official… to have primary responsibility for the development and acquisition of surface and underwater dual-modality, advanced autonomous vehicles, consistent with warfighter requirements.”
Ahead of their 2024 budget, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces increased the number of officials dedicated solely to increasing operational readiness for the introduction of long-endurance UAVs and UUVs. China has also invested heavily in the use of drone technology in conjunction with its strategy of traditional power projection in the South China Sea.
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