U.S. Navy Shows First Digitally‑Crewed Surface Vessel Resupply at RIMPAC 2026

During the 2026 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the Naval Postgraduate School’s Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE) and the U.S. Navy’s FLEETWERX program demonstrated a novel expeditionary logistics workflow. U.S. Marines manufactured replacement parts aboard a ship using advanced manufacturing equipment, loaded the components onto a digitally‑crewed surface vessel (DCSV), and delivered them to a U.S. Navy ship in less than 24 hours.

After the resupply, the DCSV transported drone components to the 25th Infantry Division’s Lightning Lab, where Marines and Soldiers assembled the systems for testing at Makua Range. The end‑to‑end process—from on‑board manufacturing and maritime transport to assembly and operational deployment—was completed within a single day, showcasing how autonomous logistics and distributed manufacturing can compress traditional supply‑chain timelines.

Organizers described the event as the Department of the Navy’s first digitally‑crewed surface vessel resupply of a Navy ship, highlighting the potential for faster, more flexible logistics in contested environments and the integration of multiple services, academic, commercial, and coalition partners.