When the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group departed San Diego last month on its way to the Pacific region, a new, completely autonomous vessel deployed with it for the first time.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed on Wednesday this marked the first carrier striker to ever deploy with a “medium-size USV,” using the acronym for an unmanned surface vessel. He described its addition to the group as “a force multiplier” during a panel event at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting and exposition in Washington, D.C.