Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti meets with sailors during a tour of Task Force 59, at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Manama, Bahrain, June 4, 2024. (Amanda Gray/U.S. Navy)
MANAMA, Bahrain — The introduction of innovation units in more theaters and a greater emphasis on drones are among the ways the U.S. Navy is adapting to the rapidly changing character of war, the service’s top officer said.
The proliferation of unmanned drones in the Red Sea, and their use in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine are evidence that “the nations which adapt quickly to new technology and integrate these capabilities will have the advantage,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday during a visit to Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
“If you can integrate artificial intelligence into your decision making, you will have speed of decision,” Franchetti said.
She pointed to the recent deployment of an MQ-4C Triton drone detachment to Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily and a similar detachment in Guam as examples of the service’s work to assimilate drones and other technology into the fleet and drive innovation.
The service also has a fleet of surface drones in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations patrolling Middle Eastern waters. Task Force 59 has tested and operated unmanned systems in the region since 2021. The Navy also is experimenting with surface drones in Africa.
A MARTAC T-38 Devil Ray unmanned surface vehicle, operates in the Persian Gulf in October 2023. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti remarked on the importance of unmanned craft in the area during a visit to Naval Support Activity Bahrain June 4, 2024. (Jacob Vernier/U.S. Navy)
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti addresses international attendees of the Combined Force Maritime Component Commander officer course during her visit to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Manama, Bahrain, June 4, 2024. (Amanda Gray/U.S. Navy)
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti meets with Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, June 4, 2024. During the visit, Franchetti applauded Bahrain for leadership in the region and for hosting U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. (Amanda Gray/U.S. Navy)
“Part of that is we know we’re going to need different skills to operate and integrate these unmanned systems, so having a robotics rating and sailors that specialize in that … is really going to be imperative to us being able to get ahead on those technologies,” she said.
Franchetti toured Task Force 59 during her trip to the Middle Eastern nation, which included meetings with sailors, Bahraini naval leaders and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Franchetti thanked the prince for the support of his nation, which began hosting a U.S. naval headquarters in 1948 and was the first to receive major non-NATO ally status in 2002.
“The support that they provide to our sailors and to their families is really pivotal to what we are able to do,” Franchetti said during an American Forces Network interview.
On Wednesday, Franchetti and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea met with sailors in an all-hands call, which was closed to reporters. The leaders “expressed their appreciation for the sailors’ resilience and commitment,” Navy officials said.
