US planning more ‘robots at sea’ in Middle East to combat Iran- Bloomberg

The United States is making efforts to persuade its Middle East allies to deploy additional robot vessels around the Arabian Peninsula in order to enhance threat detection capabilities, particularly from countries like Iran. The objective is to safeguard critical waterways that play a vital role in global commerce and oil trade.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, who commands the international maritime coalitions and the Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, revealed that the US aims to have over 100 unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) operational by the end of summer. The initial target of 50 USVs was achieved in February. Cooper emphasized that this technology offers a cost-effective and efficient means of strengthening US partnerships.

This initiative comes as Iran, emboldened by a recent China-brokered deal to restore relations with Saudi Arabia, seized a second oil tanker within a week. The US Navy released footage showing boats allegedly belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps swarming a Panama-flagged oil tanker, Niovi, as it traversed the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman.

Apart from concerns regarding Iran, the US is also apprehensive about China's attempts to expand military and security alliances with Gulf Arab states. These countries have traditionally relied on the US for their defense requirements. Notably, China, being the largest trading partner of most Gulf nations and the primary purchaser of crude oil from the region, already maintains a naval base in Djibouti, located in the Horn of Africa.

According to John Schaus, a defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, it is reasonable to assume that China would desire military bases in the Middle East to be geographically closer to the ongoing events in the region. In March, China conducted joint naval exercises with Iran and Russia in the Gulf of Oman.

In response to these developments, Vice Admiral Cooper highlighted the distinction between a basic exercise and the comprehensive integration achieved through the US-led maritime exercise in the region. The US-led exercise, involving 42 countries, 7,000 personnel, 35 ships, and 30 USVs, was described as the largest in the area. It included a simulated patient transfer conducted using a USV.