BlackSea Technologies announced a partnership with the U.S. Naval Academy focused on expanding education and research in maritime unmanned surface vehicles. According to BlackSea Technologies, the initiative is designed to ensure midshipmen gain the skills and experience needed to lead in a Navy increasingly reliant on hybrid fleets that integrate unmanned platforms.

The collaboration will provide midshipmen with opportunities such as capstone research projects, summer internships, and faculty-directed studies. The company explained that these programs will allow students to apply academic knowledge to practical challenges in developing and operating unmanned systems.

Todd Greene, Deputy Director of Advanced Technology at BlackSea, highlighted that unmanned technologies are becoming a critical part of naval operations. He compared this period of transformation to the Navy’s early adoption of aviation, noting that today’s midshipmen must be ready to command with both technical knowledge and operational insight.

BlackSea also pointed to existing academy training programs where midshipmen have worked with Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadrons One and Three. In those settings, students have used autonomy software, integrated payloads, and operated the company’s Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) during at-sea trials. Some participants were chosen for “Blue Chip” billets, ensuring future assignments with those squadrons after commissioning as Surface Warfare Officers.

The company emphasized that this partnership is intended to move students from passive learning to active participation in advancing unmanned technologies, ensuring that graduating officers can employ these systems effectively from the start of their naval careers.