Chief of Naval Operations Observes Fielded, Scalable Tailored Offset Capabilities During ThayerMahan Visit

GROTON, Conn., Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Admiral Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations, recently visited ThayerMahan's Groton, Connecticut headquarters to observe fielded autonomous sensing capabilities and discuss their role in expanding maritime domain awareness, supporting distributed operations, and delivering persistent intelligence across strategically important maritime environments.

ThayerMahan appreciated the opportunity to host Admiral Caudle and his team. The visit highlighted operational capability through ThayerMahan systems already deployed for government customers, as well as recent investments that expand the company's ability to manufacture, deploy, and sustain maritime sensing systems at operationally relevant speed and scale. Leveraging experience gained from the selection as a Program of Record mission system for the Royal Australian Navy's SEA1200 Program, company leaders discussed how persistent sensing capabilities can provide commanders with greater awareness across vast operating areas while augmenting traditional naval forces and allowing crewed platforms to focus on missions requiring their unique capabilities.

"The maritime challenges facing the Navy will not be solved by technology designed to be demonstration darlings," said Mike Connor, Chairman and CEO of ThayerMahan and former Commander of U.S. Submarine Forces. "They will be solved by capability proven in the real world. The Fleet needs systems that can be fielded rapidly, operated persistently, and scaled affordably and effectively. Our discussions focused on how autonomous sensing capabilities can fill the maritime awareness gap and provide commanders with the intelligence they need while freeing exquisite assets for the missions only they can complete."

During the visit, Admiral Caudle received briefings and demonstrations focused on persistent maritime sensing, autonomous operations, acoustic processing, AI-enabled analyst decision support, and the use of cost-effective distributed systems to increase awareness across contested and strategically important maritime regions. He also reviewed ThayerMahan's layered port security concepts, which combine persistent sensing, command-and-control integration, and counter-UUV capabilities to help protect critical maritime infrastructure and strategic assets. Discussions centered on how autonomous systems can serve as tailored offsets that provide operational flexibility, expand sensing capacity, and complicate adversary decision making. The discussion also explored how AI-assisted analysis can help operators manage increasing volumes of sensor data while accelerating delivery of actionable intelligence to operational commanders.

"The Navy's requirement is straightforward: we need capabilities that can be fielded, sustained, and employed in the real world," said Admiral Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations. "As we build the future Fleet, unmanned systems, autonomous sensing, operationally relevant AI capabilities, and other tailored offset capabilities can help expand maritime awareness, increase operational capacity, and provide commanders with additional options across the battlespace. Engagements with industry are an important part of understanding how these capabilities are maturing and where they may contribute to the future hedge fleet."

The visit included several operational ThayerMahan capabilities currently supporting government customers, including:

• Outpost®, a platform-agnostic mobile acoustic intelligence system providing ASW-capable passive acoustic surveillance.
• SeaPicket®, a long-endurance moored sensing capability designed for deployment in strategically important operating areas.
• ShorePicket™, a fixed sensing capability optimized for port and harbor awareness, designed to provide the sensing layer in the UUV detect to defeat chain.
• SeaGuard™, a non-kinetic UUV defeat capability designed to protect ports, critical infrastructure, and maritime assets from underwater threats as part of a layered port defense architecture.
• TransparenSea®, software that enables near-real-time contact reporting, AI-assisted analysis, and integration with C2 systems.

The visit also highlighted the importance of rapidly transitioning proven technology into fielded capability. Discussions covered fleet adoption, operational sustainment, force resilience, AI-enabled decision support, and the industrial capacity required to equip operational commanders at relevant speed and scale. Company leaders also highlighted ThayerMahan's recent progress in expanding production capacity, including domestic manufacturing of advanced acoustic sensing technologies, increasing deployment activity with government customers, and continued investments intended to strengthen the nation's maritime industrial base.

"The demand signal is clear," added John Russ, Chief Operating Officer ThayerMahan. "Commanders need reliable capability that can be deployed quickly, sustained over time, and integrated into real-world operations. That's been proven with the international sales and operations we've already completed. Our focus remains on delivering systems that provide actionable intelligence while maintaining the affordability and scale required by today's maritime environment." 

In addition to system demonstrations, Admiral Caudle met with engineers, manufacturing personnel, software developers, acoustic analysts, and operators responsible for designing, building, deploying, and sustaining ThayerMahan's capabilities. The visit concluded with discussions on future operational requirements, industrial capacity, AI-enabled autonomous maritime systems, and the role of scalable sensing capabilities in supporting the Navy's future force design.

About ThayerMahan®  
ThayerMahan, Inc. is a maritime technology company specializing in unmanned acoustic intelligence, persistent undersea surveillance, and non-kinetic counter-UUV capabilities. The company provides its government and commercial customers with end-to-end autonomous system deployment, field operations, continuous data collection, and advanced analytics. Using state-of-the-art acoustic and electronic sensors integrated across a range of surface and subsurface platforms, ThayerMahan delivers tailored capabilities that support mission-critical defense, security, and infrastructure protection requirements. Headquartered in Groton, CT, ThayerMahan also maintains offices in Lowell, MA, and Arlington, VA. For more information, please visit www.thayermahan.com or contact the company at [email protected]. 

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SOURCE ThayerMahan, Inc.