As part of the Reconciliation Bill, the US Navy (USN) is planning to invest approximately US$12 billion in the development and acquisition of maritime uncrewed systems and naval munitions over the next fiscal year.

This new funding allocation supports the service’s Navigation Plan 2024 and its goal to rapidly integrate robotic and autonomous capabilities into its inventory. In detail, the plan includes 2 different allocations, one of $5.5 billion for unmanned programmes and another $5.7 billion to enhance the supply chain for naval interceptors, missiles, and torpedoes. In sponsoring the investment, the US Secretary of the Navy, John C. Phelan, stated that “we need to act with urgency and behave more like we are on a wartime like footing.”

Regarding the production of robotic maritime capabilities, the investment plan allocates $2.1 billion for the development, procurement, and integration of medium unmanned surface vessels (MUSVs – Class OVERLORD) and $250 million for wave-powered unmanned underwater vehicles. It also includes $1.5 billion for small unmanned surface vessels and $1.3 billion for unmanned underwater vehicles. The total budget will also cover investments in the testing of maritime robotic autonomous systems and enabling technologies ($188.4 million) and in the development of a Test Resource Management Centre.According to the FY2025 Annual Long-Range Plan for Naval Vessel Construction, the USN would be able to procure and maintain a fleet of 134 unmanned surface and underwater vehicles by 2054.

In terms of maritime munitions, the goal of the new investment is to deepen the US Navy’s magazines, making “munitions more efficient, especially the missile defence interceptors and long-range fires on which current operations are relying very heavily.” In accordance with this objective, the long-range air defence and anti-ship missiles will receive $855 million in FY2026, and the multi-service cruise missiles, $688 million. For the manufacturing and improvement of torpedoes, $470 million will be invested for heavyweight, $200 million for lightweight, and $55 million for lightweight multi-mission capabilities.

Nearly $1 billion is allocated for USN/USAF joint initiatives, including long-range air-to-surface and anti-ship capabilities. In the “wishes list” there are also investments for: next-generation medium-range anti-ship ballistic missile ($50 million), the medium-range air and missile defence interceptor, and the short-range Navy and Marine Corps anti-ship missile ($70 million).

According to US media, the new budget allocation also includes $500 million for maritime mines, $200 million for mass-producible autonomous underwater munitions, and $50 million for new underwater explosives.

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