BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 8, 2026--
Sea Machines Robotics announced today that it has secured a 5 year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to supply its commercial, non-developmental, TRL-9, rapidly deployable autonomy kits to US Special Operations Forces. The contract enables SOF to leverage Sea Machines to supply “drop-in” capability for autonomous command and control on global vessels of opportunity to enhance expeditionary logistics, as well as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and maritime security at the tactical edge.
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The “drop-in” autonomy kits are powered by Sea Machines’ proprietary Autonomous Command and Control system, delivering proven and commercial autonomy that can be leveraged on a multitude of craft that range in size and performance specifications. The kits are deployable in a matter of hours which empowers a variety of options for an asymmetric capability that can be tailored for different areas of responsibility and objectives.
Unmanned vessels and marine autonomy kits like those developed by Sea Machines have become a growing requirement for defense forces particularly in the maritime domain across the globe, notably the Arabian Gulf, INDOPACOM, and the Baltic, providing naval commanders the ability to detect, track, and neutralize threats at sea – without placing Sailors or high value maritime assets at risk.
“This award reflects a clear shift toward operational, ready-now autonomy that can be deployed wherever and whenever it’s needed,” said Mr. Erik Hedval, Director of Federal Business Captures for Sea Machines. “Our maritime autonomy system delivers a true ‘drop-in’ capability, enabling Special Operations Forces to rapidly extend command and control, increase mission flexibility, and reduce risk to personnel in dynamic maritime environments. ”
About Sea Machines Robotics
Based in the tech hub of Boston with a global presence, Sea Machines Robotics, Inc. builds autonomous vessel software and systems that increase the performance, capability, and efficiency of naval and commercial vessels. Learn more at www.sea-machines.com
Sea Machines Secures IDIQ Contract with US Special Operations Forces (SOF) for Universal Autonomy Systems
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution following a tumultuous year in which President Donald Trump tried to remake the portrayal of U.S. history by the Smithsonian museums and other cultural entities.
Bunch said in a news release Tuesday that he was departing the position he had held since 2019 “with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude.” The Smithsonian said he would leave the post at the end of the year.
Bunch’s departure comes two months after a White House report branded the leaders of the Smithsonian Institution, especially at the National Museum of American History, as radical activists who cannot be trusted, an indication that Trump could be preparing to install his own team.
Anthea M. Hartig, the first female director of that museum, faced growing scrutiny from Trump and other Republicans over the summer after the White House Domestic Policy Council’s report saying the museum’s leadership doesn’t tell history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”
Three weeks after the report’s release, Trump ordered his administration to install signs in front of the U.S. history museum telling visitors that some of the exhibits are inaccurate. Hartig pushed back, telling lawmakers during congressional hearings that the report “does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum.”
There had been speculation that firings were in the offing. Trump doesn’t have the power to fire leaders at the Smithsonian with the swiftness he’s managed at other top cultural institutions in Washington, most notably the Kennedy Center, where a board of his supporters named him chairman.
The Smithsonian operates outside the executive branch and museum directors report to Bunch, who is subject to oversight from a Board of Regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and so-called citizen regents.
Roberts, who serves as Smithsonian’s chancellor, said in a release that Bunch had “pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story.”
The White House did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The announcement has left questions about some Smithsonian programming. Bunch is scheduled to speak Sept. 25 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture at an event entitled: “Understanding America: 10 Years of Excellence.”
A Smithsonian spokesman said Bunch would be at the event.
The Smithsonian has been under examination by the Trump administration since 2025 as it has focused on the images and messages presented to the public as the nation approached its 250th anniversary.
A March 2025 executive order, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, led to signs being changed at federal parks, exhibits being altered or in some cases removed, and military bases being renamed. Trump specifically cited the National Museum of African American History and Culture and argued that the Smithsonian as a whole was engaging in a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history.”
Several months later, the White House ordered a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions before the country’s 250th birthday, with a goal of aligning the institution’s content with Trump’s interpretation of American history.
In a letter sent to Bunch at the time, the White House detailed the steps it expected the organization to take as part of the announced review. The examination covers all public-facing content, including social media, exhibition text and educational materials, to “assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals,” according to the letter.
That review initially focused on eight museums — the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
California Democrat Sen. Alex Padilla praised Bunch in a statement for not shying away from the nation's history. “In the face of Donald Trump’s attacks on the Smithsonian, Secretary Bunch spoke truth to power and reasserted his commitment to defend and uphold American history and values. While I respect his decision to depart, the job now falls to the Board of Regents and Congress to ensure the success of his work will remain for generations to come.”
Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C., and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
The Smithsonian Institution Building, more commonly known as the Smithsonian Castle, is closing for renovations, in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
FILE - Lonnie Bunch, the New Secretary of the Smithsonian, joined by President Donald Trump, left, Dutch collector Bert Kreuk, second from right, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, right, speaks during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, July 18, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - Lonnie Bunch, then director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Sept. 21, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch speaks at an event, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)
Paige Crowther Charbonnea, left, after President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to her brother, 9/11 hero Welles Crowther, during a Steel Across America event with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation on the Ellipse, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
