The US military's first sea-drone strike hit the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on July 12, and the commander overseeing NATO's modernization says allied navies are heading the same way. Adm. Pierre Vandier told Business Insider the operation demonstrated a new combat role for sea drones, though the alliance still has work to do before fielding them across its forces. Allied navies have used the vessels for patrols and surveillance; the US is the only member that has used them on offense.
The US military's first-ever sea-drone strike, carried out in Iran earlier this month, is opening up a new way of warfighting for NATO, the top commander overseeing the alliance's modernization told Business Insider. According to Business Insider, French Adm. Pierre Vandier, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, said in an interview this week: "I think it's coming."
The strike demonstrated a new combat role for sea drones, Vandier said, though NATO still has work to do before it can effectively field them across its forces. Allied militaries are exploring how to fold sea drones into traditional naval fleets, but the vessels have historically been used for surveillance rather than strikes like the one in Iran.
The July 12 strike on Bandar Abbas
The US military said the July 12 strike on Bandar Abbas was the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations. Over the past few weeks, the Pentagon has run two unprecedented sea-drone missions: rescuing an Apache crew from the water after their helicopter was shot down, and striking the Iranian port.
That operation closely resembled what Ukrainian forces have done for years in the Black Sea, where they have used exploding sea drones to strike Russian warships and port facilities. As Ukraine often does after these kinds of attacks, the US released footage captured from a camera mounted on the sea drone as it approached the target, and another angle showed a massive fireball at the moment of impact.
NATO wants drones that fight alongside any warship
Vandier, one of NATO's two strategic commanders, said the alliance is working on standardization and compatibility for sea drones so they can operate seamlessly alongside warships of any nationality. In a naval task force, he said, all parties involved should be able to effectively process the data and fully grasp the mission.
NATO allies already run sea drones on maritime security patrols to guard critical undersea infrastructure, including the Task Force X Baltic mission, as well as on various defensive exercises. But the US is the only one that has used them on offense.
Sea drones cheaply expand a commander's options
Absorbing lessons from Ukraine, the US leveraged the battlefield feedback loop and used one of Kyiv's tactics in its own fight, Vandier said. The biggest impact, he added, is that the technology cheaply expands a military's tactical options, giving commanders new ways to pressure an enemy.
The US could have used a fighter jet to strike the Iranian port, but it instead created a scenario where Tehran now has to consider defending the surface, not just the air, Vandier said. A protracted war like the one in Ukraine requires new ways of fighting because complex platforms, like warships, take too long to build, and uncrewed systems can be mass-produced.
Source: Business Insider
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