Why US attack on Iran's submarine repair facility could change naval warfare forever
The article discusses the evolution of naval warfare, highlighting how unmanned surface vessels and AI-driven drones are shifting military strategy toward non-contact engagement. It specifically notes a recent US offensive against an Iranian naval facility using unmanned vessels.
Why it matters
This shift represents a fundamental change in global military doctrine, moving away from traditional force-on-force combat toward remote, technology-driven disruption.
When drones first went on the offensive over the skies of Ukraine, they were thought of as a poor nation's weapon against a much larger and powerful enemy. The iconography was that of a feeble David taking on Goliath, a cheap shoulder fired rocket zip-tied to an off the shelf drone, standing in for a much expensive anti-tank guided missile. In the current conflict in West Asia, it is Iran that is launching drones at its neighbours, one aspect of this news is again that of cheap drones passing through expensive air defence systems, which till recently were boasting of the impressive numbers on their specification sheets.At the same time, unmanned systems are growing leaps and bounds in capability and autonomy, especially now with a booster shot of Artificial Intelligence.
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