US Navy removes drone program head Rebecca Gassler, restructures autonomous systems acquisition

Published Aug 6, 02:20 PM UTC

The U.S. Navy removed Rebecca J. Gassler from her position as Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) on August 5, 2026, just eight months after her appointment in December 2025. The service simultaneously announced the creation of a Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for RAS, aiming to fix fragmented acquisition practices that slowed delivery to warfighters. Christopher Miller will serve as acting DRPM RAS, reporting directly to William Toti. The shakeup follows two federal lawsuits filed on July 14 by Blue Water Autonomy and Saildrone, who allege they were improperly excluded from the Navy's Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel Family of Systems program due to the Navy's failure to comply with its own requirements. Navy leadership cited an urgent need to replace arcane processes with clear accountability and faster decisions.