Marines Seek AI Tools and Drones for Sea Chokepoints

The Marine Corps is looking for new ways to navigate the world's most dangerous waterways, and they are turning to artificial intelligence and autonomous drones to do it. A recent Request for Information from Naval Air Systems Command reveals a military branch grappling with how to project power in contested seas without putting human pilots at risk.

A Shift Toward Autonomous Warfare

At the heart of this push is the Future Attack/Strike, or FASt, initiative. As the Corps retires aging aircraft like the AV-8B, AH-1Z and F/A-18, it wants to replace them with next-generation tech. We are talking about long-range missiles, MQ-58 Valkyrie combat drones, and electronic warfare systems. The goal is to use these tools to blast a path for amphibious groups through critical chokepoints.

This move raises urgent questions about the future of warfare. As the military increasingly relies on autonomous and semi-autonomous weapons, the ethical implications are hard to ignore. The RFI specifically mentions the need to model operations where manned aviation is