The U.S. Navy announced Thursday that it has established a development center dedicated to training sailors on autonomous technology and preparing robotic systems for deployment across the fleet.

The effort is focused on turning emerging systems into equipment sailors can reliably employ in combat.

The Robot and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center is located at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Virginia.

The center will combine sailor training with the development and fielding of robotic systems that are ready for combat.

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Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle made clear that simply producing an impressive prototype is not enough.

A robotic system must be reliable, supported and connected to the wider operational structure before it can deliver meaningful combat capability.

“A prototype is not combat power,” Caudle said in a C-NOte message. “Combat power comes when a trained sailor can employ a reliable system, supported by the right networks, logistics, maintenance, software, tactics, authorities, and command relationships, to create an operational effect.”

The center provides the Navy with a dedicated location to work through the challenges of autonomous system integration.

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The objective is to ensure that the technology is prepared for operational use by the time sailors across the fleet receive it.

Its first focus will be training sailors at the center so they understand the systems well enough to employ them in combat.

At the same time, personnel will develop a broader training structure that can be distributed throughout the Navy.

That wider approach is intended to help service members learn the technology beyond the development center itself.

Training at one location is only the starting point when the systems are ultimately expected to deploy across the entire fleet.

The center will also help produce warfighting concepts governing the use of autonomous systems.

Those concepts will establish strict guidelines for commanders as they build mission plans and define the frameworks within which robotic systems operate.

Such guidelines become particularly important in combat environments where communications are degraded.

In those conditions, communication between robotic technology and the human in the loop may be compromised, placing added importance on previously established operating frameworks.

Testing will be another central mission for the Robot and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center.

Emerging systems will be evaluated in environments designed to resemble the conditions in which they are expected to operate.

The Navy plans to make the technology perform at sea, under stress, against simulated threats and during degraded communications.

Those trials will determine whether systems can accomplish their assigned goals despite operational obstacles.

Systems that succeed under those conditions will continue through development, with the ultimate goal of employing them on the battlefield.

Systems that fail to meet the required standard will be retired rather than pushed ahead.

Caudle described the intended development cycle as field, employ, learn, improve and scale. The sequence connects fleet use with continued evaluation and improvement instead of treating the prototype stage as the finish line.

The latest announcement follows another C-NOte released by Caudle on Sept. 2. In that message, he called for the swift integration of lasers and their offensive capabilities throughout the fleet.

“The question is no longer whether these systems work — it is how quickly we can field them across the fleet and place them in the hands of sailors,” Caudle said.

His statement placed the emphasis squarely on moving functioning technology into operational use.

The Navy also demonstrated a new information sharing capability on Tuesday.

That capability is designed to streamline communication between operators and autonomous aircraft, another step involving the interaction between sailors and robotic systems.

With the new center, the Navy is creating a structured path from testing to training and eventual combat employment.

Systems will face realistic stress, simulated threats and communications problems before successful technology advances toward battlefield use.

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