Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus issued another directive Nov. 13 in a series of efforts aimed at nurturing naval innovation.
Secretary Mabus wrote:
Unmanned systems are inherently different from their manned counterparts. Policies and procedures which apply to the design, development, testing and evaluation of manned systems do not necessarily support unmanned system development. In some areas, existing criteria should be modified or eliminated, while in other areas, such as cybersecurity design, more rigor is required. Therefore, existing policies and requirements must be tailored to support expeditious and risk-appropriate processes for unmanned systems.
The DON will field and sustain diverse unmanned/autonomous forces capable of independent and integrated missions in all physical and operational environments, including cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum. Unmanned vehicles and systems have the potential to transform the naval forces by expanding existing capabilities and enabling new ones. These new capabilities must drive new operational concepts and create real advantages over adversaries.
To accelerate the development and fielding of unmanned systems and to ensure an integrated and efficient DON effort, ASN (RD&A) shall:
• Establish the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Unmanned Systems and define roles and responsibilities.
• Identify manned system requirements germane to the design, development, testing and evaluation of unmanned systems and determine how to eliminate those which cause an undue burden.
• Publish a comprehensive DON roadmap for unmanned systems within one year of this memorandum.
• Develop aggressive goals for the acceleration of DO N's unmanned systems and ensure the DON remains at the forefront of this emerging operational capability.
To accelerate the integration of unmanned systems, the Services shall:
• Establish a Director for Unmanned Systems in OPNAV and support the establishment of a DASN for Unmanned Systems in the Secretariat.
• Assess potential operational roles and missions for unmanned and autonomous systems which offer the broadest increase in warfighting capability and make recommendations for rapid demonstrations based on such findings.
• Assess other operational roles and missions where unmanned or autonomous systems should be considered.
The Services will provide their findings to ASN (RD&A) for a consolidated submission to the Under Secretary of the Navy. Unless otherwise specified above, submission will be provided to the Under Secretary of the Navy within 90 days of this memo.
Join DON Innovation at https://www.facebook.com/DUSNMSI or @DON_Innovation and visit the SECNAV/DON Innovation website at http://www.secnav.navy.mil/innovation/Pages/Home.aspx