Lectures of Opportunity: "The Future of Autonomous Systems in Naval Operations"

Over the past several decades, the U.S. has spearheaded significant research & development in robotics, automation and autonomous systems in all domains (air, land, sea, space). First-of-a-kind systems have paved the path for families of naval vehicles, growth in the applications of AI and a growing commercial base for so called “drone technology.” International competitors too have picked up the pace of innovation in autonomous systems, leading the U.S. to adapt to a new reality of manned-unmanned military operations. This talk will present the evolution of autonomous systems, an overview of current state-of-the-art in unmanned air, surface and undersea vehicles, a summary of intended missions, and an assessment of key technology and mission-level challenges that must be addressed to fully realize the future capability of autonomous systems.

The MIT/Lincoln Labs "Defense Technology" lecture series will be conducted at the NWC by experts from the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL).

MIT/LL research scientists will provide five Lectures of Opportunity in September and October covering these topics: Cyber Security Threats and Technologies, Military Space, Artificial Intelligence, Communication Systems, and Autonomous Systems. These lectures will run in the normal LOO time frame (1200-1330) on a Wednesday or Thursday.

Note: students and faculty who attend the entire series will receive an MIT/LL certificate of completion.

About this Lecture

Lectures of Opportunity offer U.S. Naval War College (NWC) students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to learn more about national and international socio-political subjects that may be of relevance to the NWC community.