The implications of military unmanned maritime vehicles on the international maritime security order: from challenge to re-balance

In recent years, the continuous application and expansion of unmanned intelligent technology in military maritime equipment have spurred the rapid development of military unmanned maritime vehicles, represented by Unmanned Surface Vehicles and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles. Their accelerating deployment across various maritime domains is profoundly reshaping patterns of maritime military competition and the maritime security order, making them an urgent topic for discussion concerning international maritime peace and development. Furthermore, with their unique advantages such as low cost, potential for mass deployment, high concealment, long endurance, and the avoidance of personnel casualties, unmanned maritime vehicles are redefining maritime situational awareness capabilities for nations, especially small and medium-sized states, to an unprecedented degree. Their large-scale application not only poses severe challenges to traditional maritime rules based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea but also creates uncertainty for the maintenance of the existing maritime security order. Military unmanned maritime vehicles will drive nations toward a re-balance of power. This paper aims to analyze the historical progression and practical application of military unmanned maritime vehicles. It will systematically discuss how they can constructively perform this re-balance function across dimensions such as peacetime, crises, and wartime, and re-examine their potential contributions to the international maritime security order.