On March 12, the 21st Century Defense Initiative at Brookings will host Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, for a discussion on the U.S. Navy’s use of new technologies, and its development and integration of unmanned systems into the current and future Navy force structure.
Admiral Roughead will address the major operational challenges and benefits from new and rapidly evolving technologies. He will also speak to the doctrinal, legal and ethical questions that arise when using unmanned naval systems.
As the current Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Roughead is the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Navy, and one of only two admirals to have commanded both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. He also serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Senior Fellow Peter W. Singer, director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative and author of the new book Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century (Penguin Group, 2009), will provide introductory remarks and moderate the discussion. After the program, Admiral Roughead will take questions from the audience.