The state of Navy unmanned with Dorothy Engelhardt
Feb 19, 2023
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Dorothy Engelhardt, Director of Unmanned Systems in the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for ships, discusses the unmanned portfolio and enabling technologies. They talk about fielding USVs and UUVs, owning data for autonomy, USV concept of operations, industry readiness, agile funding, and adoption in other nations. They also touch on the 'as a service' business model, Navy's autonomy roadmap, and total cost of ownership.
The importance of building an ecosystem to ensure interoperability among unmanned systems and manned fleet, and the need to prioritize building enabling technologies and establishing standards.
The challenges of the traditional planning, programming, budgeting, and execution (PPBE) process in quickly procuring and experimenting with unmanned systems, highlighting the potential benefits of more agile funding mechanisms.
The ongoing exploration of autonomy in naval operations and the development of an autonomy roadmap, emphasizing the need to assess the total cost of ownership (TCO) for unmanned systems and determine ideal lifespan and replacement points.
Deep dives
Overview of the Unmanned Systems in the Navy
In this podcast episode, Dorothy Engelhardt, the Director of Unmanned Systems in the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, provides an introduction to the unmanned portfolio in the Navy. She discusses the various systems and stages of development within the portfolio, emphasizing the ongoing work of the unmanned task force and Task Force 59. She also highlights the importance of building an ecosystem to connect the dots and ensure interoperability among unmanned systems and manned fleet, and mentions the need to prioritize building enabling technologies and establishing standards. Additionally, Engelhardt mentions the challenges of aligning unmanned systems with the Future Years Defense Program (FIT UP), and the importance of a modernized budgeting process to support rapid prototyping and experimentation in the unmanned domain.
Importance of Agility in Unmanned Systems Acquisition
Engelhardt discusses the need for agility in the acquisition process for unmanned systems, particularly in terms of funding and budget reform. She highlights the challenges posed by the traditional planning, programming, budgeting, and execution (PPBE) process which hampers the ability to quickly procure and experiment with unmanned systems. Engelhardt suggests the potential benefits of more agile funding mechanisms, allowing for continuous prototyping, experimentation, and quick response to technology advancements. She emphasizes the importance of adapting the mental model and cultural mindset to support the unique requirements and timelines of unmanned systems.
Exploring Autonomy and the Total Cost of Ownership
Engelhardt discusses the ongoing exploration of autonomy in naval operations and the development of an autonomy roadmap. She highlights the importance of defining goals and functionalities for autonomy across different domains and timeframes, allowing for targeted investments and engineering expertise. Additionally, she emphasizes the need to assess the total cost of ownership (TCO) for unmanned systems and determine the ideal lifespan and replacement points. Engelhardt mentions ongoing prototyping efforts to gather data for cost analysis and optimization of operations and sustainment.
Contracting Models: Own and Operate vs. Buying Data
The podcast explores different contracting models in unmanned systems, specifically the contractor-owned and operated (COCO) model. Engelhardt discusses the COCO model's approach of buying data from commercial vendors rather than owning and maintaining the platforms directly. While highlighting the benefits of this model for ISR-type missions, she raises questions about its application in challenging wartime contexts. She also mentions ongoing discussions and experimentation regarding contracting for autonomy-related functions and data ownership.
Ensuring Industry Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing
Engelhardt introduces "The Disruptor," a newsletter she developed to share information and facilitate collaboration among industry partners, stakeholders, and subject matter experts in the unmanned domain. She highlights the importance of maintaining institutional memory and documenting progress and lessons learned in the fast-evolving field of unmanned systems. The newsletter covers a wide range of topics, including standards, collaboration among allies and partners, experimentation, technology advancements, and future outlook. She encourages industry and defense professionals to engage with the newsletter and contribute to the shared knowledge base.
In this episode of the Acquisition Talk podcast, Dorothy Engelhart joins me to discuss unmanned surface and underwater vessel development in the United States Navy. Dorothy is the Director of Unmanned Systems in the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for ships, and she has been in this role since 2015. Before that, she was a senior acquisition manager for Marine Corps MDAPs, and had over 20 years of experience in NAVAIR as well as experience on the Hill.
1:04 - Rundown of the unmanned portfolio
2:40 - Enabling technologies vs. Program of Record
4:45 - Timeline to fielding USVs and UUVs
7:00 - Owning the data for autonomy
11:10 - Capability over time curves and USV requirements
15:00 - USV Concept of operations
19:30 - Industry's readiness for USV production
27:40 - Agile funding and acquisition authorities
35:00 - Speed of adoption in Turkey and other nations
37:30 - "As a service" business model
41:50 - Navy's autonomy roadmap
45:00 - Total cost of ownership
49:40 - The Disruptor newsletter
This podcast was produced by Eric Lofgren. You can follow me on Twitter @AcqTalk and find more information at https://AcquisitionTalk.com
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