AUVSI Testifies at Congressional Hearing on the State of America’s Maritime Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, February 5, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, CDR Tom Reynolds USN (Ret.), Chief Strategy Officer at Seasats, testified on behalf of Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) before the U.S. House of Representatives on the transformative role of uncrewed maritime systems in modernizing America’s maritime infrastructure. 

The hearing, “America Builds: Maritime Infrastructure,” was hosted by the Committee on

Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation to examine investments in maritime technologies, ports, and the workforce needed to ensure U.S. competitiveness. 

During the hearing, Reynolds advocated for strategic investments in maritime robotics and autonomous systems, associated workforce development, secure component supply chains, and infrastructure that will position the United States as a global leader in this industry. He also called for closer collaboration between the U.S. Coast Guard and the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Commerce to leverage existing federal maritime investments.

In opening comments, Reynolds stated: “Our current regulatory framework has not kept up with this advancement in technology, and our current rules are impeding the development and operation of a modern maritime economy. In addition, the principal leader in our national maritime regulatory framework, the U.S. Coast Guard, operates no autonomous or robotic ships or boats or underwater vehicles of its own. Zero. It is unfair to expect that our Coast Guard can effectively regulate something that it has not been equipped to experience itself.”

Reynolds serves on AUVSI’s Board of Directors and was a founding member of AUVSI’s Maritime Advocacy Committee. Read here his full written testimony submitted for the record.