Disruptive innovation and naval power : strategic and financial implications of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and long-term underwater power sources

Abstract

The naval warfare environment is rapidly changing. The U.S. Navy is adapting by continuing its blue-water dominance while simultaneously building brown-water capabilities. Unmanned systems, such as unmanned airborne drones, are proving pivotal in facing new battlefield challenges. Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) are emerging as the Navy's seaborne equivalent of the Air Force's drones. Representing a low-end disruptive technology relative to traditional shipborne operations, UUVs are becoming capable of taking on increasingly complex roles, tipping the scales of battlefield entropy. They improve mission outcomes and operate for a fraction of the cost of traditional operations. Furthermore, long-term underwater power sources at currently under development at MIT will extend UUV range and operational endurance by an order of magnitude. Installing these systems will not only allow UUVs to complete new, previously impossible missions, but will also radically decrease costs. I explore the financial and strategic implications of UUVs and long-term underwater power sources to the Navy and its future operations. By examining current naval operations and the ways in which UUVs could complement or replace divers and ships, I identify ways to use UUV technology to reduce risk to human life, decrease costs, and leverage the technology learning curve. I conclude that significant cost savings are immediately available with the widespread use of UUVs, and current research investment levels are inadequate in comparison with the risks and rewards of UUV programs.