Speaking to the Associated Press, US Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper expounded on the Fifth Fleet's latest endeavor, emphasizing that Iran is considered by the US to be the "primary regional threat" in the Middle East.
"By using unmanned systems, we can just simply see more. They’re high-reliability and remove the human factor,” Cooper told the outlet on the sidelines of the Unmanned System Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
He added that the systems are the "only way to cover on whatever gaps that we have today."
"It’s been well-established that Iran is the No. 1, in the primary regional threat we are addressing,” Cooper said.
"There’s the ballistic missile, cruise missile and UAV (drone) component, both in their capability and their mass proliferation, as well as the proxy forces."
The joint fleet of unmanned drones is said to be made up of some 100 aircraft that incorporate artificial intelligence, both sailing and submersible, to put more "eyes and ears on the water."
The head of the Fifth Fleet added that while there have been a series of encounters between US and Iranian forces in recent months, most encounters have been tame.
"If you look back over the last couple of months, I would say it’s status quo," Cooper said. “There have been some periods where they have had an uptick in activity. ... The overwhelming majority of these interactions are safe and professional."
He also noted that Israel would likely join the US Navy's Middle East-based unmanned naval drone task force.
“I would expect exercises in the future where we would work side by side," he told the outlet.