China is building the world's largest facility for robot ship research

On the civilian side, the work at Wanshan could give China a greater say in setting standards for 21st-century infrastructure and AI uses. As for the military side, unmanned systems have a range of applications for logistics and combat. Robotic warships could handle anti-submarine missions, mine countermeasures, long-endurance patrol, espionage, and port security. Peter Warren Singer is a strategist and senior fellow at the New America Foundation. He has been named by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues.