The US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is calling on tech firms for solutions to stop and disable small boats threatening to breach American waters.
In a solicitation announcement, the DIU said that it is seeking solutions to stop the watercraft “without placing undue risk to [federal authorities] conducting these interdictions, operators/passengers onboard the non-compliant vessel, and nearby innocent civilians on the water.”
“These agile vessels, often operating in densely populated areas and under cover of darkness, require interdiction strategies that do not expose the suspect vessel’s operators, civilian bystanders, and law enforcement personnel conducting the interdiction to an undue level of risk,” it said.
A solution brief’s technical merit will be judged on how well it meets the primary requirements, with additional weight given to its performance across secondary attributes.
The request also comes after UN rights experts raised concerns about the US’ “extrajudicial execution” of at least 14 people on board alleged drug-trafficking boats from Venezuela.
Requirements for DIU Solution
The agency emphasized that solutions should be powerful enough to stop a rogue small boat without putting civilians or Coast Guard crews at risk. The technology must also be capable of neutralizing a single high-speed boat on the move.
DIU is looking for non-kinetic methods — ranging from electromagnetic pulses to novel electronic attack tools — that can disable or stop a rogue small boat and its operator instead of using live fire.
The system should be deployable from Coast Guard cutters and patrol boats between 25 and 45 feet (7.62 to 13.8 meters) long, operating as a standalone tool that requires little integration with existing hardware.
The technology should be far enough along in development to be tested within 60 days of an award, with trials taking place at a government-designated site.
The call for proposals aligns with the US push to better secure its vast maritime borders.
With more than 95,000 miles of shoreline and responsibility for heavily trafficked sea lanes, DIU said: “The use of small watercraft by our nation’s adversaries, including transnational criminal organizations and state actors, to smuggle illicit cargo and aliens across the US’ maritime borders presents a growing security challenge.”
