ANALYSIS OF UNMANNED SURFACE VESSEL EMPLOYMENT IN DISTRIBUTED MARITIME OPERATIONS

This thesis investigates the employment of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) within the Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) construct in the 2030–2035 timeframe. This research created a proposed systems architecture for the incorporation of USVs into an adaptive force package (AFP) operating in a DMO environment, with emphasis on the command and control (C2) structure and composition of the AFP force. The study then developed a realistic operational scenario and incorporated the scenario into a model using the agent-based program called Map Aware Non-uniform Automata (MANA). Using the systems engineering process, the study traced AFP requirements and functions throughout the functional analysis and modeling efforts. The analysis method enabled the author to conduct a quantitative comparison of AFP characteristics that influenced the operational success of the AFP against an enemy in a maritime engagement. The research identified that the type of C2 structure imposed on an AFP operating with USVs did not significantly impact the operational performance of the AFP. Additionally, an AFP composed of large surface combatants (LSCs), small surface combatants (SSCs), large USVs (LUSVs), and medium USVs (MUSVs) has the greatest operational success over an enemy when the distributed force consists of a small number of LSCs, a greater number of SSCs, and many USVs. The author’s recommendation for the U.S. Navy is to continue to develop and employ USV technology to enable DMO objectiveshttp://archive.org/details/analysisofunmann1094564162Outstanding ThesisLieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited