‘We think in decades’: ONR leaders on the future of autonomy and unmanned systems

The Office of Naval Research used the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition to spotlight decades of investments in autonomy and to press for deeper industry collaboration aimed at accelerating new capabilities to the fleet.

Chief of Naval Research Dr. Rachel Riley, speaking on an April 21 panel in National Harbor, Maryland, traced ONR’s role in fielding unmanned systems across domains, citing REMUS underwater vehicles in the 1990s and early 2000s, swarmboats in 2014, the LOCUST aerial program in 2015, and the Sea Hunter and Sea Hawk surface vessels in 2017. “I don’t say all this to brag but rather to let you all see really great examples of how ONR does its mission,” she said. “We start with basic research and partner with industry to educate them on what the Navy and Marine Corps need in terms of readiness and lethality.

“As technologists, we’re futurists,” she continued. “That gives us a unique opportunity to share a slightly different demand signal than some of our partner organizations. We not only think about near-term capabilities but also the naval needs of the future. We think in decades.”

The session, titled “From Concept to Capability: Aligning Autonomy Across our Maritime Forces,” examined how autonomous systems are reshaping maritime operations and what it will take to knit together efforts across services. Moderated by Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute, the panel featured senior leaders from the Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army, and industry, including U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Dustin J. Byrum, the Navy’s vice chief of naval research and commanding general of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory.

Speakers discussed standardizing testing and evaluation, incorporating operator feedback earlier and more consistently, and cutting timelines for software approvals and authorizations—recurring pain points as the services aim to move promising prototypes into programs of record.

Riley underscored ONR’s push to broaden its industry pipeline, pointing to a new series of Innovation Industry Days intended to align the Navy and Marine Corps’ most pressing research needs with private-sector investment and solutions. The first event is set for Thursday, May 14. “We’re going to brief out ONR’s 11 S&T [science and technology] focus areas,” she said. “This involves the technology that we believe the Navy and Marine Corps will need in the next 15 years. We hope to encourage greater industry investment as well as educate our own folks about capabilities that could be well served by industry.”

Byrum emphasized a rapid, iterative approach to fielding gear for Marines, with industry as a central partner. “At MCWL, we look at the future operating environment and what equipment and technologies Marines will need to succeed,” he said. “When we find that technology, we place it in the hands of Marines so they can test it and even break it — then we figure out how to fix it and make it better.

“A crucial part of this involves working with industry, which plays an important role in helping us move at speed and at scale, so our adversaries always have a bad day.”

Beyond the panel circuit, ONR, the Naval Research Laboratory and ONR Global mounted a joint exhibit on the show floor, featuring sponsored technologies, interactive displays and program staff available to meet with government, military and corporate representatives. The aim, ONR said, was to identify pathways to transition cutting-edge science and technology to the fleet and force.

ONR and NRL leaders also appeared on additional panels during the expo. On Monday, April 20, Capt. Randy C. Cruz, NRL’s commanding officer, delivered a presentation on “Naval Research: From Discovery to Deployment, Delivering Science and Technology for Naval Dominance,” outlining how the lab advances capabilities from the seafloor to space and across the information domain. On Tuesday, April 21, ONR Mission Support Director Arveice Washington moderated “Doing Biz with ONR and NRL,” a session with Naval SBIR/STTR Director Brian Shipley, ONR Small Business Director Andrew Chappell, ONR Contracting Director Jamie Thompson and NRL Technology Transfer Director Kerry Leonard that walked through mechanisms, including licensing and contracting, for collaborating with federal research organizations.

Hosted by the Navy League of the United States, Sea-Air-Space drew 16,000 attendees and 297 senior federal executives and flag officers, bringing together military leaders, policymakers, industry and research institutions to showcase emerging technologies, discuss operational challenges and outline priorities across naval warfare domains.