Robotic Navy to secure southern border
Published on February 3rd, 2025
Upon taking office, President Trump declared a state of emergency at the US southern border, which has long been utilized by cartels and criminal gangs for drug and human trafficking.
This was a decisive move, supported by an immediate surge of land operations and maritime forces southward, to reestablish American sovereignty and stop the massive flow of trafficking into the United States.
For the past two weeks, Customs and Border Protection personnel have worked to fortify ports of entry and wall up open stretches. On the water, the US Navy and Coast Guard have moved fleets of ships into place. These agencies are responsible for securing thousands of miles of coastline and open ocean, but assets are extremely limited, and there is too much water to cover.
Now, Saildrone is doubling its fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean in support of Operation Southern Spear to detect and stem the flow of illegal drugs traveling through known maritime corridors into the United States.
A record number of 20 high-endurance Saildrone Voyager USVs equipped with a newly upgraded sensor suite will monitor illegal activity along the United States’ southern maritime approaches, operating in support of Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) and US Naval Forces Southern Command/US Navy Fourth Fleet (NAVSOUTH/FOURTHFLT). Two Saildrone Voyager USVs are deployed to the Caribbean Sea in support of Operation Southern Spear.
The Saildrone Voyager is a 10-meter USV designed to support distributed maritime operations by monitoring critical areas, such as chokepoints, for illicit activity. Equipped with advanced sensors, radar, and communication systems, Saildrone USVs can detect suspicious vessels, track their movements, and relay near real-time intelligence into a common operating picture for action. Once a target is identified, Saildrone provides precise coordinates and other data, enabling the Coast Guard to interdict bad actors before they reach US waters or deliver their illicit cargo.
Cartel operatives exploit known gaps in maritime surveillance coverage. Saildrone USVs have proven capable of operating for months at a time, providing persistent blue water maritime domain awareness without the need for crew rotations or refueling stops. This allows navies and law enforcement to extend their operational reach without the need to commit additional personnel or resources to routine patrols. – Full story