- Detect-to-act pipeline central to next-gen maritime operations.
- RFI seeks AI, multi-domain sensors, and unified command systems.
- RAPTOR team to support testing and rapid prototyping.
The United States Coast Guard has put out a wide-ranging Request for Information (RFI) seeking cutting-edge technologies to help achieve “Maritime Domain Dominance” over an impressive 95,000 miles of coastline and four million square miles of maritime territory. This initiative represents a significant shift from simply monitoring maritime activities to actively shaping, influencing, and controlling what happens at sea, reports gCaptain.
Transitioning from Awareness to Active Control
The RFI, released by the Coast Guard Research and Development Centre, highlights the service’s desire to go beyond just awareness-based monitoring. The aim is to restrict adversaries’ freedom of movement, secure our maritime borders, and facilitate quick, decisive actions when necessary.
According to the RFI: “The Coast Guard desires unified, real-time MDD solutions that establish a ‘detect-to-act pipeline’ connecting every cutter, small boat, aircraft, unmanned system (air and surface), and sensors (space, air, surface, and shore-based) that are networked to our operators and command centers to facilitate the decisions and actions that follow.”
Diverse Technology Requirements
The Coast Guard’s Rapid Response Rapid Prototype (RAPTOR) team will work alongside selected respondents, potentially offering maritime test areas to showcase their solutions. Industry submissions need to meet specific technical requirements, such as:
- Integration with military networks
- Real-time data transmission to command centres
- Fusion of multi-domain sensor inputs
- Unified command and control displays
- Cybersecurity, scalability, and interoperability (both classified and unclassified)
There’s a particular interest in AI-enabled systems that enhance detection accuracy and cut down response times for search and rescue operations.
A Multi-Domain, Capability-Driven Approach
This initiative covers operations across space, air, surface, and subsurface, with options for either contractor-operated or government-operated systems. It focuses on capabilities rather than just platforms, aiming for continuous coverage and predictive awareness.
As the RFI notes: “With more than 95,000 miles of coastline, four million square miles of Exclusive Economic Zone, and countless points of entry, the U.S. maritime border is vast, dynamic, and increasingly contested… The Coast Guard requires an information-centric force focused on capabilities versus platforms, leveraging revolutionary technologies that enable persistent coverage (via space, air, surface, and subsurface), predictive awareness, and rapid decision-making against multi-faceted threats.” The service stresses that no single system will deliver Maritime Domain Dominance; multiple integrated capabilities are required.
Submission Details
Responses should be limited to five pages, plus any supporting materials, and are due by January 2, 2026. The Coast Guard emphasises that this RFI is purely for market research and will not lead to contract awards at this stage.
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Source: gCaptain
