What You Need to Know: As the age of manned submarines and aircraft carriers fades, the U.S. Navy must shift its focus toward Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) like DARPA’s prototype, the Manta. UUVs offer a more affordable and scalable alternative to traditional nuclear submarines, which the U.S. struggles to maintain in adequate numbers.

-In light of the drone revolution seen in modern conflicts, undersea drones can complement and extend the Navy's reach, allowing the U.S. to meet emerging threats without risking significant loss.

-Mass-producing and deploying UUVs could be crucial for American strategic success, especially in contested regions like the Indo-Pacific.

Forget Submarines for the Long Term: The Age of the UUV is Here—Does the US Navy Realize That?

The age of the aircraft carrier, like that of the battleship, is over. The United States Navy hasn’t gotten that message yet. It might prove fatal. But, like The Sopranos, it’s over. So, what replaces it? 

The submarine is the most likely replacement. It’s stealthy. The submarine prowls silently deep beneath the waves, negating many of the anti-ship ballistic missiles that America’s rivals have invested in. 

Subs can get close to enemy targets and attack them with relative surprise and speed, too. 

UUVs Needed

Yet, the Americans (and the wider West) are struggling to both maintain their existing fleet of submarines while building new ones, with some even arguing the age of the sub is coming to an end long term.

Already, the US Navy cannot meet the increased demand that the dynamic global threat environment is placing upon their shipyards for new—and better—submarines. Mass production of complex systems has not been a staple of the United States industrial base for decades. It is, however, a key factor in the industrial base of rival states, like China. 

And given that America’s enemies are catching up with the United States in terms of quantity—and quality—of their submarines, the question remains how can America compete?

Recently, DARPA, the Pentagon’s shadowy research arm, unveiled a prototype for a large unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), the Manta. No, this isn’t a comic book villain. Although, it certainly looks like some otherworldly, futuristic nightmare machine. What’s more, its cheap. 

And, despite it being described as “large,” compared to the complexity and size of a nuclear-powered submarine, the Manta, or whatever unmanned platform that ultimately evolves from DARPA’s research, is far less than any manned submarine today.

The Unmanned Revolution

The world has already witnessed the power and potency of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in America’s poorly named “Global War on Terror.” Again, the world was reminded of the ubiquity and lethality of drones in the ongoing Ukraine War in which swarms of cheap drones have been used to decimate enemy tanks. Now, the Russians are deploying hellish ground drones to amplify their potency in the devastating ground war. 

Drones will similarly transform the way naval warfare occurs. And because the Americans simply can no longer keep up with the production requirements of their nuclear submarine force, or any manned submarine, the Pentagon must redirect its resources into building unmanned underwater drones. Plus, if these systems were lost in combat, the losses would not be anywhere near as caustic as would losing multiple manned nuclear submarines. 

So, undersea drones can be made to augment America’s current manned submarine force. They can be more easily mass produced (and replaced). Further, unmanned underwater vehicles can be used to penetrate the most well-defended enemy territory with little fear of detection and a great chance of tactical success. In today’s contested global environment—notably in the Indo-Pacific—UUVs could be key difference for the US Navy between victory and defeat. 

The Pentagon must expedite the mass production of UUVs and deploy them with wanton abandon into the Indo-Pacific to harry China’s attempts to gain primacy over the US Navy.

About the Author

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase wherever books are sold. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.