Task Force 59

Task Force 59 gained global attention on 9 June 2026 when one of its Saronic Corsair autonomous surface vessels recovered both crew members of a downed AH-64 Apache from the Strait of Hormuz, in what CENTCOM and specialist reporting describe as the first confirmed unmanned-vessel personnel recovery in active combat operations. Hours after that rescue, Iran struck the US Fifth Fleet headquarters at Bahrain — TF59's home base — as part of its retaliatory strikes across the region.

TF59 was established on 9 September 2021 under US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), headquartered at NSA Bahrain. It is the first US Navy task force dedicated entirely to integrating unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater systems with artificial intelligence into operational maritime activity. By mid-2022 its unmanned surface vessels had logged more than 15,000 sailing hours across regional waters, contributing to daily maritime domain awareness in the Gulf and approaches to the Strait of Hormuz.

The task force represents a deliberate shift in how the Fifth Fleet manages persistent surveillance and response across a contested, geographically complex theatre. Its success in the June 2026 rescue operation, conducted under combat conditions, has accelerated Pentagon and allied interest in autonomous systems for search-and-rescue and force-protection roles beyond the Gulf.