The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Aug. 19 that the agency has stood up a new Program Executive Office (PEO) dedicated to robotics and autonomous systems, which it states marks a step forward in the service’s Force Design 2028 modernization plan.
A Coast Guard press release said the new office reached initial operating capability this week, and its focus will be on rapidly bringing unmanned and autonomous technologies into service, including systems such as counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS). Coast Guard officials said the office will serve as the primary advocate for resources and ensure new technologies are developed, tested, acquired, and sustained with long-term integration in mind.
The Coast Guard said the PEO will carry out the Coast Guard’s unmanned systems strategic plan and is expected to have wide-ranging impacts on missions from border security and commerce facilitation to emergency response. Leaders described the effort as the most transformational capability addition since the service adopted aviation.
A Coast Guard press release noted the office’s responsibilities span the full lifecycle of capability development: defining requirements, managing acquisition and contracting, overseeing integration and deployment, and building sustainment plans. A temporary team of subject matter experts has been assembled to manage early projects, with the long-term goal of achieving full operating capability, the statement said.
The statement went on to note that a central priority will be advancing the Coast Guard’s C-UAS strategy. The office will help shape doctrine, partnerships, and technology needed to defend the marine transportation system and safeguard high-profile national events.
Force Design 2028 is the Coast Guard’s blueprint for reshaping the service to meet future challenges. The effort is organized around four campaigns focused on people, organization, contracting and acquisition, and technology, and seeks to accelerate modernization across all mission areas.
