US Marines conduct first live-fire drone strike against maritime surface vessel

The US Marines assigned to the III Expeditionary Operations Training Group at Okinawa, Japan, and operators from US Naval Special Warfare Command have executed the US Marine Corps’ first live-fire drone strike against a maritime surface vessel from a naval surface craft.

An unmanned surface vessel, also designed and built by the training group, was the target. The officials noted that the event, which occurred in March at Naval Base White Beach, Okinawa, Japan, was a landmark in the increasingly close integration of special operations forces and conventional forces, ushering in a new era where drones and even their targets are designed and built by the US Marines. 

The sailors also demonstrated the ability to launch attack drones from their self-built unmanned surface vessels. 

The driving force for this evolution is the training group’s mission to empower individual Marines and prepare them for the challenges of modern expeditionary warfare.  

“By training Marines in the construction and operation of these systems, [the training group] is building an arsenal of innovators ready to fabricate and deploy unmanned aerial, surface and ground systems tailored to specific battlefield needs,” said Marine Corps Maj. Brant Wayson, the unmanned systems branch officer in charge. 

“The threat from [the] III [Marine Expeditionary Force] to our adversaries can change from one day to the next,” he continued.

“It is innovative, flexible and rapidly adaptable. We can create leave-behind sensors, build mesh networks, or develop unique systems across sea, air or land to deliver payloads.” 

The branch’s current focus is twofold: perfecting lethal payload delivery and developing robust counter-unmanned systems. The US Marines are also being trained to act as engineers, prepared to build their own unmanned systems from local economies during conflict, including the design and construction of payloads with mechanical and electronic safety devices. 

Overall, this event demonstrates how Marines are learning, innovating and adapting, drawing from ongoing conflicts to secure key maritime terrain. Using a combination of unmanned surface vessels and aerial drones, Marines can now investigate vessels of interest and, if they are confirmed as hostile, engage them with organic, unmanned firepower.