Next-gen military tech: A speedboat that turns into a submarine
Tech Industry
On the sand, in the air, and in the water.
The marines here at Camp Pendleton are training for the next generation of warfare.
Mike, sierra, mike sierra, 565.
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Throughout my entire career, maritime supremacy was guaranteed.
Air supremacy was guaranteed.
Now even a primitive adversary like ISIS is flying UAVs with explosive charges on them.
So the pressure's on.
The pressure's on.
Colonel Dan Sullivan is trying to relieve that pressure by putting new high tech tools in the hands of his Marines.
From mobile 3D printers that can create spare parts in the field to unmanned robots mounted with machine guns.
The unique thing here is having the actual scientists and engineers in the field for two weeks testing and evaluating a host of technologies.
This week's exercise brings together more than 100 pieces of advanced technology and lets Marines work with them in simulated amphibious assault scenarios.
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But, putting so much faith in autonomous devices raises concerns over hacking.
This is being designed with a cyber threat in mind.
If there is no cyber security it's no good.
I think that's quickly becoming our center of gravity, is defending our network.
Can it hold how many rounds?
Probably, 200.
The technology was designed by, both, military and civilian innovators
But not all of it was originally intended for the battlefield.
So just climb in.
The Hyper-Sub is a speed boat that turns in to a submarine.
Wow, this is really cool.
If it sounds like a kid's James Bond fantasy, well that's exactly how it started out for inventor Reynolds Marion.
I just always figured it'd be
A good idea as a kid to have a really cool speed boat that could go out and dive when you wanted to dive.
From youthful minds, these creations are now in the hands of young warriors like Corporal Edmund Kennedy.
You've been in the marines four years and yet you've got all this top brass asking you, what do you think?
Yes sir, that's definitely a change of pace.
He's one of the marines participating in the exercise and for him a lot of the technology feels familiar.
It's almost like being at home and just playing a video game.
Did you ever think that you would be able to bring those video gaming skills to the job?
Not in a million years, my mother told me it was a waste of time, but look at me now mom.
The marines are gonna take what they've learned from this exercise and narrow it down to their favorite technologies with the goal of purchasing some of these equipment for a future deployment.
They say those purchases are going to happen fast.
Think Silicon Valley speed and not Pentagon Red Tape.
Carter Evans, CBS News, Camp Pendleton.
