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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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The U.S. Navy recently took a groundbreaking step in upgrading its fleet of drones with new investments.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced a "multiple-award contract to support current and future unmanned surface vehicle family of systems and subsystems," to 49 companies or "industry partners."
"The maximum dollar value for all (total number) contracts combined is $982,100,000. Each awardee will be awarded $1,000 (minimum contract guarantee per awardee) at contract award. Work will be performed in various locations in the contiguous U.S. and is expected to be completed by February 2025," the DoD said in a press release.
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Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP), a military news site, said: "Leading the charge in this groundbreaking initiative, as announced on the DoD contracts bulletin last Friday, June 14, are industry giants such as Saab, Anduril Industries, Bollinger Shipyards, Teledyne FLIR, and General Atomics."
The investment comes as the U.S. faces heightened tensions from a number of countries around the globe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly criticized the U.S. and other Western nations amid the ongoing war with Ukraine. Earlier this month, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that Putin delivered a speech at the recent St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and mentioned Russia's nuclear doctrine.
"This doctrine is a living instrument, and we are carefully watching what is happening in the world, around us, and do not rule out making some changes to this doctrine," Putin said, according to RIA Novosti. "I don't think that such a case has arisen."
Al Jazeera reported that Putin also mentioned the West while speaking with other news agencies, saying: "For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use it," referring to the country's nuclear doctrine.
In March, the Pentagon announced plans for a $1 billion program to build an armada of remote-controlled killer sea drones.
The announcement came amid concerns in Washington, D.C., over a potential future attack against Taiwan by China, which the DoD considers a "pacing challenge." The U.S. is the self-ruled island's main arms supplier, but it maintains a long-standing policy of "strategic ambiguity" to keep China guessing on whether Washington would commit American forces to Taiwan's defense.
Chinese military buildup and exercises around Taiwan are nearing the point at which they could "execute a profound military operation" with little notice, Admiral Samuel Paparo, whom the Senate recently confirmed as chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said earlier this year.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Navy via email for comment.
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