Strategic Implementation of Navy and Marine Corps Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles With Respect to Military Transformation

摘要

Unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) have taken on a greater strategic role in the U.S. Armed Forces, as evidenced by recent operations of the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle firing Hellfire missiles against Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan. Although no naval UCAVs currently exist, U. S. Navy and Marine Corps forces will incorporate and rely upon these vehicles during future combat. For this reason, the Navy and Marine Corps must decide the fundamental strategy and capabilities for these vehicles to avoid using unmanned vehicles where manned aircraft might be more appropriate. Even though UCAVs promise to perform some missions more effectively and less expensively than manned aircraft, they should not be used in combat just because they can, but only if they provide a significant operational or strategic advantage.