US Coast Guard / CENTCOM released photo of weapons seized aboard an Iranian dhow on February 15 2024. The seizure included UUV and USV components. The annotations, highlighting possible UUV parts, have been added.
From the ongoing conflict with Iran, to the Ukraine war and hotspots around the world, aerial drones have proven to be extremely dangerous and effective weapons and a mad rush is on to counter them. It is a technology race that makes headlines on a near daily basis. However, a similar but far quieter and less visible threat is emerging below the waves and now the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is looking to do more about it.
Faced with a growing threat from uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs), the USCG is seeking technology not just to detect these weapons, but to defeat them. Ports and other maritime facilities are vulnerable to this kind of attack vector, and our adversaries surely know it. The effort is being led by the Coast Guard Futures Development and Integration (FD&I) Directorate, which oversees research, modeling and simulation, technology forecasting, and field experimentation.
As glad as I am that someone is actually looking into this, I am surprised because, so far, the Coast Guard does not seem to have done anything, since the upgrades to the six FRCs that were assigned to PATFORSWA, to counter attacks by unmanned surface and air threats that are much easier to stage and probably more likely.
Is this just harbor defense or open ocean as well? Could this lead to the rebirth of the Coast Guard’s ASW mission?
I would think the Mk58 Very Light Weight Torpedo might be used. if so it might also be used against surface threats.
Coast Guard buoy tenders functioned as net tenders in WWII. Nets are a major project but they have had some success.
Attacking ships in port has always been an option, but we usually think in terms of air attacks, but the Italians were very successful attacking British ships in port using swimmer delivery vehicles.
Related;
- “Mounting Ship Losses To Explosive USVs” –Covert Shores
- “Houthi’s Blowfish: Guide To Explosive USV Threat In Red Sea” –Covert Shores /
- Ruminating on an Attack on a US Port
- “Successful JAGM Quad Launcher Demo Showcases 90-Degree Vertical Launch And C-UAS Capabilities” –Lockheed Martin
- Invariant’s Surface-to-Air Kinetic Engagement (STAKE) system–Maybe Something the Coast Guard Needs
- Hellfire the Drone Killer
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
UAVs and UUVs are major threats, and increasingly so as they can be deployed from shore as well as from container ships. It will be almost impossible to create a 100% defense against a determined swarm, but something has to be done. Greater port security for vessels pierside or in drydock is required. Drydocks may need to be covered, as many are in Europe. The days of building or repairing out in the open are over.
One possible solution to this growing problem is contractor-owned and operated vessels and systems providing near-shore surveillance and interdiction to complement CG personnel and assets.