Nov. 25, 2025 —
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) provides nearly $350 million to transform the Coast Guard’s use of unmanned and autonomous systems to support mission execution. Of this amount, the Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Program Executive Office (PEO) used $11.1 million in fiscal year 2025 to immediately replace or expand critical autonomous systems.
Initial investments included:
- $4.8 million was used to procure 16 VideoRay Defender remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to begin replacing the aging fleet of ROVs used by Deployable Specialized Forces units.
- $2 million was used to procure six Qinetiq Squad Packable Utility Robot (SPUR) and 12 mini-SPUR robots to replace outdated and unsupported unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) at Strike Teams.
- $4.3 million was used to purchase 125 SkyDio X10D short-range unmanned aircraft systems (SR-UAS).
These actions are the first of several planned robotics and autonomous systems investments the Coast Guard will pursue using OBBBA funds. All three technologies address immediate mission needs, improve personnel safety and strengthen the Coast Guard’s capabilities to control, secure and defend U.S. borders and maritime approaches.
“These unmanned systems provide increased domain awareness, mitigating risk and enhancing mission success as the Coast Guard continues to operate in hazardous environments,” said Anthony Antognoli, the Coast Guard’s first RAS program executive officer. “The Coast Guard’s mission demands agility, awareness and adaptability. Robotics and autonomous systems deliver all three, enabling us to respond faster, operate smarter and extend our reach where it matters most. We are not waiting for the future to arrive. We are delivering it to the fleet today. The Coast Guard is leveraging the RAS PEO to turn cutting edge technology into operational reality.”
The Coast Guard’s Deployable Specialized Forces units are trained and equipped to confront and stop threats that exploit the maritime environment. These units provide an array of mission-specific capabilities that leverage the Coast Guard’s unique authorities to support the emergent needs of operational commanders, capabilities that will be enhanced by the procurement of the tethered ROVs. These ROVs have forward and side scan sonars that can be used for waterfront, port and pier inspections and sweeps; vessel hull inspections and damage assessments; subsurface critical infrastructure assessments; search and recovery of aids to navigation; humanitarian assistance disaster response; and search and rescue missions. The use of these ROVs greatly reduces reliance on Coast Guard divers.
Coast Guard Strike Teams are ready to respond to incidents such as pollution or hazardous materials spills; major marine casualties or groundings; natural disasters; chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incidents; and national special security events. The UGVs will be used to access and sample air in confined spaces aboard commercial vessels, including potential CBRN environments.
The SR-UAS will be used by a variety of Coast Guard units for operations such as infrastructure inspections, environmental observation, pollution response, post-storm survey, ice survey, and communications support, among other missions.
The RAS PEO is a key component of the Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 plan, aimed at fully integrating capabilities, and is poised to be the most transformational enhancement to capability since the inception of aviation.
For more information: Robotics and Autonomous Systems page