The U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Future Remains Murky as China Threat Looms

The year is 2025. China’s invasion of Taiwan, long feared, has finally arrived. America is scrambling a fleet to defend the 90-mile Taiwan Strait. But first, the U.S. military unleashes the drones. “[Enemy] ships are getting damaged, slowing down, big timings are getting thrown off, some are getting lost, some ships are probably going to get sunk,” said long-time naval analyst Bryan Clark.

“This hellscape, this churn you cause in the invasion lets you mobilize, get your act together and start delivering the long-range fires that are going to actually take out the larger amphibious ships and surface ships,” he added.

But 2025 isn’t quite here yet.