Autonomy, Unmanned Ground Vehicles, and the U.S. Army

As a result of technological maturation, Congressional mandate, and battlefield use, the U.S. Army is currently involved in a tremendous amount of activity surrounding the development of unmanned systems (UMS). While current systems require near constant supervision, the research and development community is developing capabilities that will greatly increase the autonomy of future UMS. The payoff of employing highly autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) for the Army is potentially high in a number of areas. However, the second or third order effects could have negative consequences. This monograph analyzes current U.S. Army activities surrounding the development of autonomous UGVs in order to provide ideas for developers to better attain success and help prevent unintended consequences. Using lessons from the past and theories for innovation, leaders can gain insight for the conduct of current development. The progress of technology has often been faster than our doctrine and policy development. As challenging as the time, money, and manpower might be to focus on autonomous UGV issues, the potential benefits of autonomy to our Soldiers are too great not to make the investment.