U.S. Navy establishes RASWDC to turn drones and robotic vessels into operational tools

The useful part

Navy creates new command to master drone warfare News Maritime Security By Colton Jones Sep 26, 2026 Modified date: Daryl Caudle speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Navy established the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center at Little Creek-Fort Story under Rear Adm.

How it works

• "To maintain our decisive maritime advantage, we must rapidly integrate robotic and autonomous systems into how we operate, train, and deploy," said Chief of Naval Operations Adm.
• The new Navy office works alongside a Department of War-wide portfolio manager for unmanned offensive and defensive systems that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth established in late June.
• The center will test unmanned systems, develop tactics and training, and feed results to the Navy's new robotic systems acquisition office.
• Navy has set up a new command to turn its growing collection of drones, unmanned boats and robotic submarines into tools sailors can actually fight with, naming Rear Adm.
• Center, known as RASWDC, is headquartered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia and falls under U.S.

What to take from it

Coverage is based on open sources, official releases, and direct reporting. The Navy said the center will be the fleet's single operational home for robotic and autonomous systems in the air, on the surface and under the sea. "Our purpose here is to consolidate the Navy's autonomous efforts across air, surface, and undersea domains, and give them a single home here at Little Creek.

Example or evidence

• The center will test unmanned systems in realistic conditions, write the doctrine and tactics for using them, and build the training needed to certify sailors to operate them.
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• We are here to make sure our forces don't just field unmanned systems, but dominate with them.".

Details worth keeping

Operations formally established it this week. "The establishment of RASWDC ensures our Sailors are equipped with the tactical edge, advanced training, and specialized doctrine required to win the high-end fight." The center is the operational half of a reorganization that began over the summer. 5, the Navy created a Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Robotic and Autonomous Systems, a single office responsible for buying, budgeting, setting technical standards and fielding unmanned systems across the Navy and U.S.

Related coverage

• Maritime Executive: The U.S. Navy is taking more steps to restructure its unmanned-system programs, putting operational integration work under the newly-created Robotic a...
• Navytimes: U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle announced a new autonomous development center to train sailors and test new technology.
• Navaltoday: Operations (CNO) have established the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development...
• Navalnews: The Secretary of the U.S.
• Naval Technology: The US Navy has formally created a command dedicated to integrating robotic and autonomous systems into fleet operations on 24 September.