Karl Flynn

Imagine the opening hours of a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) invasion of Taiwan: Dozens of amphibious craft fight through the gauntlet of U.S. and allied drones and missiles, battered but not broken.1 Survivors hit the beaches, disgorge armor and infantry, and begin to push inland. At that moment, the lodgment is shallow, the PLA is disorganized, and its logistics tail is stretched thin. This is the PLA defenders’ moment of maximum vulnerability. But, today, the US.

Western Pacific 2029.A confrontation has erupted into a full-scale conflict between Chinese and U.S. and allied forces. Seeking to isolate Taiwan and control maritime access to the South China Sea, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is positioning forces to blockade the Luzon Strait—a vital artery for regional commerce and joint force maneuver. In northern Luzon, a Marine Corps infantry division has been supporting Filipino forces under a bilateral defense agreement.

It should come as no surprise that the Navy’s Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office is testing and evaluating a variety of unmanned surface vessels (USVs).1 From small intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms such as Saildrone to the large proof-of-concept Ranger platform, the Navy’s tests have included drones of all shapes and sizes.