The Marines want to use artificial intelligence to counter one of their enemies' most effective and hard-to-detect weapons

After nearly two decades of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Marine Corps is looking to reorient toward its specialty, amphibious operations, while preparing for the next fight against what is likely to a more capable foe. Peer and near-peer adversaries are deploying increasingly sophisticated weaponry that the Corps believes will make amphibious landings a much more challenging proposition in the future. The Corps is looking for high-tech weapons to counter those looming threats, but it's also looking for a sophisticated system to counter a persistent, low-tech, but decidedly dangerous weapon -- mines hidden close to shore. According to a recent post on the US government's Federal Business Opportunities website, first spotted by Marine Corps Times, the Marine Corps Rapid Capability Office is looking to autonomous and artificial-intelligence technology to "increase Marines' ability to detect, analyze, and neutralize Explosive Ordnance (EO) in shallow water and the surf zone" -- two areas where amphibious ships and landing craft would spend much of their time. "Initial market research has determined multiple technically mature solutions exist that can assist Marines ability to achieve this capability," the notice says.