The Marine Transportation System, Autonomous Technology, and Implications for the U.S. Coast Guard

In this Perspective, the authors briefly highlight key aspects of autonomous systems and their potential to affect the Marine Transportation System, as well as how these systems might shape the Coast Guard's associated roles, responsibilities, and capabilities. Legitimate actors, criminals, and attackers, as well as the Coast Guard and many of its partner agencies, will increasingly use autonomous systems. In the next decade and beyond, the Coast Guard will increasingly need to incorporate issues relating to autonomous systems into its strategies, policies, concepts of operations, and tactics.