The Navy has established a new Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center (RASWDC) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia to integrate robotic systems into naval operations. Admiral Daryl Caudle emphasized the importance of rapid integration of these technologies for maintaining maritime dominance, appointing Rear Adm. Melvin Smith as the first commander tasked with developing implementation plans for the center’s operation and mission objectives. The announcement follows recent advancements, such as using unmanned drones in search-and-rescue operations and combat missions in the Middle East.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Elon Musk, along with Palmer Luckey (CEO of Anduril) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, has been appointed to co-lead Project Meridian, a Pentagon initiative aimed at mapping the future of American warfare. The project, announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during his "State of the Force" speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on September 30, involves identifying emerging domains and technologies critical for future conflicts. Musk previously led the Department of Government Efficiency under President Trump but left in May 2022 after a public falling out with Trump. Project Meridian will produce both unclassified and classified reports detailing its findings to inform military strategies moving forward. Additionally, Hegseth announced the creation of an "Autonomous Warfare Command" to oversee rapid advancements in autonomous technologies within the U.S. military, reflecting a shift from costly conventional weapons platforms to more cost-effective AI-driven systems.
Written for “Musk Involvement Us Warfare” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.
The Navy announced on Thursday the formation of a new center dedicated to robotic and autonomous systems that will be headquartered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia.
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that → announce → Virginia
The Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center will operate under U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
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Center → operate → Command
“To maintain our decisive maritime advantage, we must rapidly integrate robotic and autonomous systems into how we operate, train, and deploy,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Chief of Naval Operations, said.
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Caudle → maintain → Operations
“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.”
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Sailors → ensure → fight
Caudle designated Rear Adm. Melvin Smith as the inaugural commander of RAWSDC, and Smith has been tasked with developing phased near-, mid-, and long-term implementation plans on command structure, mission relationships, resource requirements, and more.
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Smith → designate → structure
“This is just day one,” said Smith.
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Smith → say → ?
“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.
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purpose → consolidate → Creek
Our mandate is straightforward: educate our warfighters, equip the Fleet with tools that actually survive the environment, and develop the combined tactics to employ them decisively.
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that → educate → them
We are here to make sure our forces don’t just field unmanned systems, but dominate with them.”
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forces → make → them
Thursday’s news comes about a month and a half after acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao announced the establishment of a Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Robotics and Autonomous Systems.
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Cao → come → Robotics
Christopher Miller serves as the acting DRPM RAS and reports to the acting undersecretary of the Navy, William Toti.
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Miller → serve → Navy
“RASWDC is the critical bridge between capability development and operational employment,” Caudle added.
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Caudle → add → development
“By forging a direct feedback loop, we are accelerating the delivery of unmanned capabilities from the foundry directly to the Fleet, ensuring our forces are postured to meet any challenge.”
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forces → forge → challenge
The Navy has begun using autonomous systems already.
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Navy → begin → systems
In the Middle East, the navy deployed a Corsair drone boat to aid in the search and rescue for two Army Apache helicopter pilots who had to make an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea in June, and they later used that same platform as a kamikaze drone to hit and destroy a submarine and ship maintenance facility at the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base.
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they → deploy → Base
“On June 8th of this year, after a U.S. Army Apache AH-64 went down near the coast of Oman, U.S. CENTCOM launched a rapid, responsive joint search and rescue effort to recover the crew,” Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week.
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Caine → go → Staff
“That response drew on the totality of the joint force, and ultimately was required to use enabled unmanned vessels to participate in the rescue of downed U.S. service members for the first time ever.”
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response → draw → time
“That capacity did not appear overnight.
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capacity → appear → ?
It came from the men and women of Task Force 59, CENTCOM’s forward-leaning unmanned joint maritime unit, who spent the last several years testing, integrating, and operationalizing unmanned systems and AI in one of the most demanding and kinetic environments on Earth right now,” Caine said during the Air and Space Conference in Maryland last week.
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Caine → come → Maryland
The Aporia
