Fil-Am among operators of US Navy's first unmanned underwater vehicles

A Filipino-American sailor is currently one of the operators of the US Navy’s first unmanned undersea squadron.

Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua-Charles Cook, who joined the US Navy in 2018, is working as a sonar technician in the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Operations Center, according to the Navy Office of Community Outreach.

Cook's parents, Erlinda and Steven Cook, live in Mabalacat, Pampanga.

"I come from a military family," said Cook, who joined the US Navy after finishing college. “My father joined the Army, my brother joined the Marines and my sister joined the Navy."

Cook is part of the Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Group 1, which "operates rapidly deployable unmanned undersea vehicles to further the Navy's underwater capabilities and learn more about the sea from information provided by the vehicles’ sensors, according to Navy officials."

Established in 2017, the unmanned vehicles can reach places that a human crew are unable to venture safely, as the sailors operating them can modify and adapt the vehicles to fit its task.

The Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Group 1 operates autonomous vehicles such as small Iver series vehicles and extra large 85-foot-long diesel-electric Orca vehicle.

"Cook serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security," the Navy Office of Community Outreach said.

"Serving in the Navy means defending freedom and democracy around the world," said Cook. "Having a Navy constantly in the water ensures the freedom of trade."

"We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs." —Mariel Celine Serquiña/KBK, GMA Integrated News