29 jun 2026
Army wants up to 100 drone boats to fill watercraft gap in Pacific
As the Army contends with a shortage of ships to carry troops and supplies in the Pacific, it’s pressing contract vessels into service and looking to a future in which dozens of heavy-duty autonomous watercraft take on a significant portion of the task. The Army’s little-known fleet of watercraft included about 70 Pacific-based vessels in 2024, down from 134 in 2018. According to a Government Accountability Office report published two years ago, the mission-capable rate of the remaining vessels has sharply declined, from more than 70% in 2020 to less than 40% in 2024.
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As the Army contends with a shortage of ships to carry troops and supplies in the Pacific, it’s pressing contract vessels into service and looking to a future in which dozens of heavy-duty autonomous watercraft take on a significant portion of the task. The Army’s little-known fleet of watercraft included about 70 Pacific-based vessels in 2024, down from 134 in 2018. According to a Government Accountability Office report published two years ago, the mission-capable rate of the remaining vessels has sharply declined, from more than 70% in 2020 to less than 40% in 2024.
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- 13:56military times
Army wants up to 100 drone boats to fill watercraft gap in Pacific
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