National Academies Press: OpenBook
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Leveraging Unmanned Systems for Coast Guard Missions. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25987.
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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
SPECIAL REPORT 335

Leveraging Unmanned Systems
for Coast Guard Missions

A Strategic Imperative

Committee on Coast Guard Maritime Domain Awareness

A Consensus Study Report of

images

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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Leveraging Unmanned Systems for Coast Guard Missions. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25987.
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Transportation Research Board Special Report 335

Subscriber Categories: Marine transportation; policy

Transportation Research Board publications are available by ordering individual publications directly from the TRB Business Office, through the Internet at www.TRB.org or nationalacademies.org/trb, or by annual subscription through organizational or individual affiliation with TRB. Affiliates and library subscribers are eligible for substantial discounts. For further information, contact the Transportation Research Board Business Office, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 (telephone 202-334-3213; fax 202-334-2519; or e-mail TRBsales@nas.edu).

Copyright 2020 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

This publication was reviewed by a group other than the authors according to the procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine.

This study was sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-68521-4
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-68521-4
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25987
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020949986

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Image

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.

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Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state departments of transportation, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.

Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

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Image

Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.

Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.

For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.

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COMMITTEE ON COAST GUARD MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS

Heidi C. Perry, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Massachusetts, Chair

RADM Thomas J. Eccles (NAE) (U.S. Navy, retired), Trident Maritime Systems, Arlington, Virginia

Jaye Falls, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland

Barry M. Horowitz (NAE), University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Lauren J. Kessler, Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Annette J. Krygiel, Independent Consultant, Great Falls, Virginia

VADM Fred M. Midgette (U.S. Coast Guard, retired), Westlake, Ohio

CDR Matthew Pickett (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, retired), Oceans Unmanned, Santa Barbara, California

Sean T. Pribyl, Gard AS, Arendal, Norway

Charles E. Thorpe, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York

Transportation Research Board Staff

Monica A. Starnes, Study Director, Consensus and Advisory Studies

Thomas R. Menzies, Jr., Director, Consensus and Advisory Studies

Anusha Jayasinghe, Associate Program Officer, Consensus and Advisory Studies

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Preface

Section 812 of the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 calls on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) to “prepare an assessment of available unmanned, autonomous, or remotely controlled maritime domain awareness technologies for use by the U.S. Coast Guard.” The full legislative request for the study is provided in Appendix A.

To conduct the study, which was undertaken under the auspices of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and its Marine Board, the National Academies appointed a committee of 10 experts in the fields of automation and control; systems research, acquisitions, and integration; Coast Guard operations and mission support; naval engineering and architecture, cybersecurity, field applications of unmanned systems; and relevant legal, regulatory, and policy issues. This report represents the consensus efforts of these 10 individuals, who served uncompensated in the public interest. Their biographical information is provided in Appendix B.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The committee met six times from September 2019 to June 2020 to gather information relevant to the study and to deliberate on the report contents, findings, and recommendations. Four of the meetings included briefings and discussions with experts from industry, academia, and numerous government agencies on existing and planned uses of unmanned systems, operational issues, cybersecurity and mission support requirements, and requisite institutional and organizational structures.

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The committee wishes to thank the following individuals for participating in these briefings and making other contributions to the committee’s work.

From the U.S. Coast Guard: LCDR Steven Arnwine, Operations Officer, USCGC Munro; Eric Downes, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Intelligence; CDR Maria Richardson, UAS Joint Program Office Supervisor; RADM Matthew Sibley, Assistant Commandant for Capability; CDR Chad Thompson, Chief, Unmanned Aircraft Systems; and CDR Sara Wallace, Deputy, Office of Requirements and Analysis. The committee also wishes to thank Scott Craig, who served as the principal contact between the Coast Guard and the committee and coordinated information requests from the committee to offices within the Coast Guard, and William Carter, who provided valuable information regarding the Coast Guard response operations for oil spills of national significance.

From the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Timothy Bennett, Science and Technology Directorate, and Joseph Wawro, Joint Requirements Council.

From the U.S. Navy: Donald McCormack, Naval Surface Warfare Center and Naval Undersea Warfare Center; Anthony Schmidt, Naval Air Warfare Center; CAPT Pete Small, Navy Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office; and Jason Stack, Office of Naval Research.

From other federal agencies: Francisco Castillo and Michael Romanowski, Federal Aviation Administration; RADM Tim Gallaudet, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Michael Ilmanen and Scott Millerand, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bradley Koeckeritz, U.S. Department of the Interior; and John Sherman, Director of National Intelligence.

From academia, research institutions, and industry: Peter Beling, University of Virginia; James Bellingham and Glen Gawarkiewicz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Joseph Bondaryk, Apollo Autonomy; Steve Brodet, Hydroid; VADM Michael Connor, ThayerMahan Inc.; Francesca D’Arcangelo, MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Donald Siebers and Namrata Kolla, Vulcan Inc.; and Michael Smitsky, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

Monica A. Starnes directed the study and assisted the study committee in the preparation of this report under the guidance of Thomas R. Menzies Jr. Anusha Jayasinghe provided support to the committee in arranging meetings.

This report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality,

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objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

The National Academies thanks the following individuals for their review of this report: Craig Allen, University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington; Michael Connor, ThayerMahan, Inc., Groton, Connecticut; Mary Landry, U.S. Coast Guard (retired), Boston, Massachusetts; Thomas McNamara, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; John Montgomery, Center for Naval Analysis, Granite Falls, North Carolina; Alan Weigel, Blank Rome LLP, Lisbon, Connecticut; and Steven Wiker, ErgoTek, Inc., Nine Mile Falls, Washington.

Although these reviewers provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the committee’s conclusions and recommendations, nor did they see the final version of the report before its release. The review of the report was overseen by National Academy of Engineering members Chris T. Hendrickson, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Chris G. Whipple, Consultant, Lafayette, California. Appointed by the National Academies, they were responsible for making certain that an independent review of the report was conducted in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered by the committee. Responsibility for the final content of the report rests solely with the authoring committee and the institution. Karen Febey, Senior Report Review Officer, TRB, managed the report review process.

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Acronyms and Abbreviations

AECA Arms Export Control Act
AEGIS Advanced, Efficient and Green Intermodal Systems
AIS Automatic Identification System
ASR air search radar
ATON Aids to Navigation
AUTOSHIP Autonomous Shipping Initiative for European Waters
AUV autonomous underwater vehicle
AUVSI Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
BSEE Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
C4&IT Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Information Technology
CBP U.S. Customs and Border Protection
CG Coast Guard
CMI Comité Maritime International
COA Certificate of Waiver or Authorization
CONOPS concept of operations
CRADA Cooperative Research and Development Agreement
CRREL Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
cUAS Counter-Unmanned Air System
cUUV Counter-Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
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DASN (UxS) Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Unmanned Systems
DCMS Deputy Commandant for Mission Support
DCO Deputy Commandant for Operations
DHS U.S. Department of Homeland Security
DOD U.S. Department of Defense
DOI U.S. Department of the Interior
DOJ U.S. Department of Justice
DOL Director of Operations Logistics
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
FORCECOM Force Readiness Command
FY Fiscal Year
GPS global positioning system
HQ Headquarters
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
ICE U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
IMO International Maritime Organization
IOC Interagency Operations Center
ISO International Organization for Standardization
ISR Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
ITAR International Traffic in Arms Regulations
IWG International Working Group
JIATF-S Joint Interagency Task Force South
LIDAR Light Detection and Ranging
LR Lloyd’s Register
MARAD Maritime Administration
MASS Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship
MDA maritime domain awareness
MER Marine Environmental Response
MOTR Maritime Operational Threat Response
MSC Maritime Safety Committee
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MSRO Maritime Security and Response Operations
MTS Marine Transportation System
MUST Maritime Unmanned System Technology
NAS National Airspace System
NAVSAC Navigation and Safety Advisory Council
NAVSEA Naval Sea Systems Command
NCC National Command Center
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NSC National Security Cutter
OAS Office of Aviation Services
OSD Office of the Secretary of Defense
OTA Other Transaction Authority
PAO public aircraft operations
PATFORSWA Patrol Forces Southwest Asia
PC&I procurement, construction, and improvements
PWCS Port, Waterways and Coastal Security
R&D research and development
RAM reliability, availability, and maintainability
RDC Research and Development Center
RDT&E Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation
RF radio frequency
ROS2 next generation Robot Operating Systems
ROV remotely operated vehicle
RSE Regulatory Scoping Exercise
S&T Science and Technology
SAR Search and Rescue
SAROPS Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System
SIGINT Tactical Signals Intelligence
sUAS small unmanned aerial system
SVIP Silicon Valley Innovation Program
TRB Transportation Research Board
UAS Unmanned Aerial (or Aircraft) System
UAV unmanned aerial vehicle
UMS Unmanned System (as per NIST)
UMV Unmanned Maritime Vessel (or Vehicle)
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UNCLOS United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea
USAF U.S. Air Force
USN U.S. Navy
USV unmanned surface vessel (or unmanned surface vehicle)
UUV unmanned underwater vehicle (or unmanned undersea vehicle)
UxS unmanned system
UxV unmanned vehicle
VHF very high frequency
ViDAR video detection and ranging
VLOS visual line-of-sight
VTOL Vertical Takeoff and Landing
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As unmanned systems (UxS) continue to develop and be used by other military services and federal agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard should proceed more aggressively and deliberately in taking advantage of UxS advancements, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Coast Guard should also produce a high-level strategy with critical goals and actionable steps toward fully utilizing UxS technology, according to TRB Special Report 335: Leveraging Unmanned Systems for Coast Guard Missions.

UxS technologies include aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles with no human occupants; vehicles that may have a crew but with some level of remote control; and systems that are not vehicles.

As one of the country’s six military services, the Coast Guard also serves as a first responder, law enforcement agency, maritime regulator, and member of the intelligence community. Despite multiple initiatives to explore and assess the applicability of UxS to these areas, the Coast Guard lacks a formal means for identifying, investigating, and integrating systems. Meanwhile, UxS technological advancements continue to accelerate, driven by both commercial and military demands.

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