Shaping Maritime Security in the Gulf: How Maritime Autonomous Systems Can Help
By Robbin Laird
April 03, 2024
The threats to maritime security in shipping in the Gulf and the littoral regions including the Red Sea are significant and deadly. There is a baseline interest the nations who ship through these waters have in terms of maintaining maritime security. And the Houthi attacks only underscore the need for a comprehensive international monitoring and defense capability to be put in place for the long term.
Fifth Fleet is uniquely positioned to lead a way forward. It is double hatted as a CENTCOM component and as command of the Combined Maritime Forces headquartered in Bahrain.
Fifth Fleet has also has led the U.S. Navy’s efforts in working maritime autonomous systems through Task Force 59. And in those exercises, maritime autonomous systems have successfully contributed not only ISR payloads but have been able to test the use of weapons launched from a MARTAC USV.
It is now prime time to establish an ISR USV enabled grid in the region which the Combined Maritime Forces command can leverage to enforce maritime security operations against threats to shipping. The command can use the unmanned platforms to deploy a variety of ISR payloads contributed by the member nations to create a common ISR data space which can leverage the kinds of actions deemed necessary and appropriate.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/04/03/shaping_maritime_security_in_the_gulf_how_maritime_autonomous_systems_can_help_1022572.html
