CLASSIFICATION: STRATEGY // AUTHOR: ED REIF

The Cartography of Decision

"We are not in the business of teaching people to drive boats. The vessel navigates itself."

But autonomy does not stand trial: people do. Who do we court-martial when the software glitches? We are in the business of calibrating human judgment at the speed of maritime autonomy. When a USV mission begins, three forces collide: physics, infrastructure, and legal pressure. My responsibility is to ensure that collision produces mission success, not asset loss, regulatory failure, or institutional blame.

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Operational Audio Briefing

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90-Day Operational Strategy

Click phases to reveal strategic objectives.

Objective: Stop guessing. Map the water.

You cannot chart navigable waters without sailing them. In the first month, I am not building slides. I am hunting friction.

The Audit: Sit with autonomy engineers to understand radar/EO/IR logic vs. reality.
The Disconnect: Identify the gap between System Specification and Operational Reality (night, fatigue, weather).
Deliverable: A role-based Training Needs Analysis functioning as a risk chart.

Objective: Design for judgment, not procedural familiarity.

Training determines when to trust the system—and when to override it. We separate the curriculum into three lanes to prevent confusion between control and authority.

Separation of Powers: Vessel Autonomy vs. Infrastructure vs. Human Authority.
Assessment Shift: Stop testing recall. Start testing decisions (Did they challenge autonomy early? Did they respect COLREGs?).
Deliverable: A scenario map approved by Engineering, Safety, and Legal.

Objective: Prove it works before the sea does.

We do not deploy vessels without trials. We should not deploy training without pilots.

The Crucible: Observe behavior under pressure. Do they hesitate? Do they trust blindly?
Feedback Loop: Failures are caught in simulation, not at sea.
Deliverable: A validated, pilot-tested training system ready to scale.

Role Mapping & Competence

Click cards to expand responsibilities.

LANE 1: THE BRAIN

Operator Track

Real-time decision authority. Owns the "Go / No-Go" in dynamic environments.

+ View Critical Responsibilities

Owns: Collision avoidance, Trust calibration, COLREGs compliance.

Does NOT Own: System repair, Config changes.

Outcome: An operator who knows exactly when to trust the system—and when to kill it.

LANE 2: THE ANCHOR

Maintainer Track

Ensures the vessel is safe, configured, and supportable. The shield against "False Green."

+ View Critical Responsibilities

Owns: Vessel readiness, L&R health, Fault isolation.

Does NOT Own: Real-time navigation decisions.

Outcome: A maintainer who protects the mission by saying "No" at the right time.

LANE 3: THE BREAKERS

Trials Crew Track

Safely exposing system limits to accelerate learning without burning trust.

+ View Critical Responsibilities

Owns: Operating beyond nominal envelopes, Data capture.

Does NOT Own: Declaring fleet readiness.

Outcome: A team that breaks the system safely so operators never have to.

Authority Matrix

Decision / Action	Operator	Maintainer	Trials
Mission Launch	AUTHORIZE	ADVISE	INFORM
Abort / Terminate	AUTHORIZE	INFORM	INFORM
Autonomy Override	AUTHORIZE	—	—
Declare "Not Mission Capable"	—	AUTHORIZE	INFORM
Operate Beyond Envelope	—	—	AUTHORIZE

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