Counter-drug sea drones utilized by Navy as Trump ramps up military resources at the border

Unmanned sea drones are on the prowl to interdict drug smugglers in America’s waters as part of a new Navy operation.  

The operation will test the Navy’s use of maritime drones, in its early stages, and apply lessons learned to missions all across the globe. 

Dubbed Operation Southern Spear, the Navy’s 4th Fleet will use “a heterogeneous mix of Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) to support the detection and monitoring of illicit trafficking while learning lessons for other theaters,” a news release said on Monday. 

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As President Donald Trump shuts down the U.S. southern and northern borders, smugglers are expected to look for alternative routes to carry out their illegal trafficking business. Human and drug trafficking cartels have increasingly turned to the nation’s maritime borders to smuggle weapons, narcotics and people into the country.  

According to recent data, more illicit drugs were seized at sea by Customs and Border Patrol’s Air and Marine Operation (AMO) in 2023 – 304,000 pounds – than by land – 241,000 pounds. 

Southern Spear will operate as part of Joint Task Force South – a Defense Department task force made up of Navy, Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, as well as 20 partner countries focused on counter-narcotics and maritime security in the Carribean, Central and South America. 

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Included in the operation are 20 high-endurance Saildrone Voyager unmanned surface vehicles, equipped with a newly upgraded sensor suite, according to the press release. The vehicles are 10 meters long and can surveil thousands of square miles of water per day to look for smugglers. 

The drones have already sailed the Persian Gulf under the Navy’s Hybrid Fleet Campaign and Project 33 and as part of Operation Windward Stack, operated by the 4th Fleet throughout 2024. They offer a 95% detection rate and are contractor owned and operated. This means that SailDrone operates the surveillance platform while the Defense Department purchases the data. 

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“As land borders become more secure, traffickers will exploit maritime pathways more than ever. We’re honored to serve, providing autonomous around-the-clock maritime surveillance to help stop smugglers before they reach our shores,” said Tom Alexander, Saildrone VP of government relations. 

Already, nearly 90% of cocaine is trafficked at sea, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Cartels look to exploit gaps in surveillance coverage that the new mission will look to plug with maritime drones.  

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Utilizing U.S. military might to disrupt the flow of human and drug trafficking at the southern border has been a top priority for Trump. 

Upon taking office, the president immediately sent an additional 1,500 troops and additional assets to the border. Over the weekend, the U.S. secured an agreement with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who will send 10,000 Mexican troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for a one-month delay in Trump’s threat of 25% tariffs on goods flowing in from Mexico.