US Department of Defense Releases Unmanned Systems Roadmap: 2007-2032

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has released a report detailing the future of robotic military equipment and how the US military should proceed. The 188 page report (pdf) covers the next 25 years of unmanned military systems in the air, and sea, and on land.

“The publication of this most-recent roadmap will further our strategic planning and our overall objective of developing, procuring and integrating unmanned systems into the force structure of the Department of Defense to support our various military mission capabilities,”

This report is unique in that it address both ground and sea vehicles in addition to the much more "popular" and oft-used arial systems. This reinforces the Department's position that integration of air, land, and sea systems is a vital part of the future of US military systems.

The report details recomendations made by field commanders and how further AI developments can lead to "thinking" systems.

"The DoD will develop and employ an increasingly sophisticated force of unmanned systems over the next 25 years (2007 to 2032). This force must evolve to become seamlessly integrated with manned systems as well as with other unmanned systems. The Department will pursue greater autonomy in order to improve the ability of unmanned systems to operate independently, either individually or collaboratively, to execute complex missions in a dynamic environment."

Another fascinating aspect of the report is a huge appendix listing all the unmanned systems currently in use by the military. The image to the left is a shot of the Lockheed Martin Protector Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

If you have a hard time downloading the document, Roland Piquepaille provides a good outline.

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US Department of Defense Releases Unmanned Systems Roadmap: 2007-2032

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