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Feature Article: How Autonomous Vessels Can Help the Coast Guard Safeguard Our Waters

For our colleagues at the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), safeguarding the more than 95,000 miles of U.S. maritime border shoreline and 15,000 miles of waterways, seaports, and other commercially navigable waters is a monumental task. They are vital conduits for trade and travel, critical to our national security. That's why the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is working with USCG to identify new technologies to help navigate some truly unique challenges—above and below the surface. "Our shoreline and waterways face daily threats. Smugglers utilize them for their criminal activity. Natural and manmade disasters, and poaching of maritime wildlife also cause harm," explained Shane Cullen, program manager in S&T's Office of Mission and Capability Support. "Oftentimes, these threats manifest themselves out at sea—far away from our coast and ports. They represent significant security challenges, so it's important we have appropriate ocean surveillance technologies that can quickly and accurately detect, track, and identify these threats." Thanks to a multi-million dollar appropriation from Congress, S&T initialized a project with USCG, the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Pennsylvania State University, Cherokee Nation Strategic Programs (CNSP), and the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI). The goal—develop, acquire, evaluate, and test six specialized, environmentally-powered (wind and solar), multi-mission-capable unmanned surface and underwater vessels, with the hope they will eventually serve as valuable tools that will complement the USCG's existing fleet of ships and aircraft. READ THE FULL STORY →

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U.S. Department of Homeland Security · www.dhs.gov · 202-282-8000

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