As several new commercial-scale offshore wind projects prepare to come online in the United States, one theme is becoming impossible to ignore: dual‑use technologies—born from defense, ocean science, and subsea research—are now central to the next generation of Operations & Maintenance (O&M).
At 2026 IPF, the session “Unmanned Solutions: O&M Tools and Tech to Win Future Bids” convened offshore energy leaders working directly at the intersection of sensing, autonomous systems, regional capability building, and global offshore operations. The discussion highlighted how tools originally developed for maritime defense, remote monitoring, and critical‑infrastructure protection are now unlocking major cost, safety, and reliability gains for offshore wind.
Building on Regional Defense Strengths
Moderated by Chris Jones (Director, Spirit Advisory Ltd), the discussion began with a regional lens. Will Cox of Rhode Island Commerce Corporation outlined how the Northeast’s defense heritage and ocean‑science ecosystem provide the testing, workforce, and supply‑chain partners needed to commercialize unmanned operations and high‑end sensing. These strengths, he noted, position the region to become a national hub for oceantech deployment and workforce development.
Sensing That Elevates Reliability and Security
Cable reliability remains one of the industry’s most stubborn O&M challenges. Chris Minto of Indeximate Ltd described how fiber‑optic sensing can transform existing infrastructure into thousands of real‑time data points—offering early warning on external threats and emerging faults, as well as enhanced maritime awareness around critical assets. This has implications not only for O&M efficiency but also for security and defense coordination.
Autonomy Enters the Mainstream
Zach Skelton of Sonardyne International traced the rapid maturation of robotics and autonomy. What was once cutting‑edge is now approaching mainstream adoption, driven in part by lessons learned from autonomous maritime systems used in defense and research sectors. As sensing grows richer, autonomous platforms can respond faster and with fewer offshore touchpoints—shifting O&M from periodic, vessel‑heavy campaigns to smarter, lower‑impact routines.
Global O&M at Scale
Bringing a global viewpoint, Jamie Lescinski of Boskalis connected international O&M at scale with U.S. needs: integrating data, tightening security postures, and planning budgets around predictive maintenance rather than corrective work. As the U.S. scales, these mature models offer a glimpse into what efficient, data‑driven O&M will look like in a decade.
Where the Industry Is Heading
Across the panel, one message resonated: the next chapter of U.S. offshore wind will be defined not just by bigger turbines, but by smarter operations. Dual‑use technologies are converging quickly, and that convergence is set to lower LCOE, harden critical infrastructure, and give developers a decisive operational edge as the U.S. market moves into full‑scale operations.
