The Navy’s surface community welcomed its newest surface drone squadron to the fleet last week during a ceremony at Naval Base San Diego.
Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3, or “USVRON Three” in Navy-speak, will oversee an array of small surface drones known as “global autonomous reconnaissance craft,” the sea service said.
Capt. Derek Rader is the first commanding officer of the newly formed squadron, seeks to integrate drone systems into the Navy’s manned fleet further.
“Our Sailors are the essential key for integration of unmanned surface vessels in the Navy and joint construct,” Rader said during the ceremony, according to a Navy release. “This will be accomplished through experimentation with the fleet testing and doctrine drafted by operators you see today, who embody and execute the warfighting that we need to achieve to enable the full potential of unmanned systems.”
The squadron will also fold in the Navy’s newest rating for robotics warfare that was announced earlier this year.
It is the third squadron thus far. The first USVRON One was stood up in 2022. Before that it was called Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One in 2020.