The 12th Littoral Logistics Battalion (LLB) is conducting its Initial Operational Capability (IOC) event, Resolute Dragon 2025, with the Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel (ALPV), an unmanned logistics and sensing USV developed by Leidos. The test is staged in Okinawa for a trip around Japan’s southwestern Ryukyu Islands.

12th LLB sent the ALPV to sea on September 13 for its three day transit to the waters around Amami Oshima Island. During its transit phase, the USV will support “MLR sensing efforts” in the southwest islands region. After looping around the northern end of Amami Oshima Island, it will transit to the Maedomari Fishing Port on Tokunishima Island to offload cargo and resupply.

A third leg of the mission was planned but cancelled, which would have extended the ALPV’s mission to the far southwestern islands of Yonaguni and Irimote, less than 100 miles (160 km) from Taiwan.

The ALPV employment is part of the joint JSDF-Marine Corps Resolute Dragon 2025 exercise which “strengthens the command, control, and multi-domain maneuver capabilities of U.S. Marines in III Marine Expeditionary Force and Japan Self-Defense Force personnel, with a focus on controlling and defending key maritime terrain”, according to the U.S. Marine Corps.

Resolute Dragon 2025 began on September 12. This year’s iteration, like the others, rehearses Expeditionary Advanced Basing Operations (EABO) to enable the defense of littoral and maritime regions. This year includes a large deployment to Yonaguni Island, the southernmost island in Japan’s Kyushu Island chain that sits roughly 70 miles (115 km) from Taiwan’s eastern coast.

The U.S. Marine Corps is focused heavily on the region, with autonomous and low-profile systems, as it seeks to keep its foot in the door of the First Island Chain against a growing Chinese presence and reach. The U.S. Marine Corps sees littoral regions and island chains in the region as key to its force design. ALPV is a tool that could enable forces to operate in those littoral regions for an extended period of time, delivering supplies like food, water, and munitions to remote islands on a stealthy USV.

Naval News covered the ALPV (also known as Sea Specter) at Sea Air Space 2025 with Leidos in April. The U.S. Marine Corps operates three known ALPVs, with one forward-deployed in the West Pacific. Newsweek reported last month that the ALPV in Okinawa would remain “indefinitely”.

The 12th LLB began work with the ALPV platform in January, performing in-port testing at the Naha Military Port in Okinawa. Since then, elements of Combat Logistics Regiment 3 have also begun training on the platform.

Forward deployed U.S. Marine Corps forces will receive more ALPVs from Leidos as it steps up training and familiarization for other logistics units in the region. It has already proven itself successful in initial testing, and Naval News understands that further developments to payloads, including defensive weapons, are likely.