Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Heaton | Michigan Gov, Gretchen Whitmer talks with Steve Tezak, director of the Starbase...... read more read more
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ALPENA, Michigan -- Michigan tapped into both its future and its legacy to support development of new technology that can drive the state’s economy and bolster national defense.
Nine teams, representing seven states and three foreign nations, competed in the first ever Michigan Uncrewed Triple Challenge on May 20, 2025, at the National All-Domain Warfighting Center. The challenge brought together technology companies that used autonomous vehicles to travel five nautical miles in Thunder Bay on Lake Huron, fly 58.5 miles from Alpena to the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and drive 23 miles from the Combined Arms Collective Training Facility on Camp Grayling to the camp’s parade ground.
The event placed Michigan in the forefront of innovation and technology, said Gov. Gretchen Whiter, who fired a Michigan National Guard howitzer at the Thunder Bay waterfront to start the race.
“We are utilizing the water, land and air resources we have as part of the National All-Domain Warfighting Center to help broaden our horizons and diversify our economy,” the governor said.
The UTC was organized by a partnership of the Michigan National Guard, the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and the Michigan Dept. of Transportation.
“For more than 100 years, Michigan has been a critical part of the defense of our nation,” said Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, Michigan's adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “We were critical to the victory in World War II as the Arsenal of Democracy and now we are helping to develop new technology that will be critical to our efforts in the future.”
Both Whitmer and Rogers pointed out that technology driven by the UTC has both civilian and military application. Increasingly, the military is seeking out ways that autonomous vehicles can perform duties that may tax military manpower or put soldiers at risk. The UTC served as a showcase for emerging technologies and was intended to push the development of those technologies via creation of a unique challenge.
The day’s event took place on a cool, windy morning in northern Michigan, with temperatures just above 40 degrees at the start of the event and wind gusts of 20 miles per hour.
“The weather is actually adding another layer of complexity,” said Geoff Douglas, a representative of Mythos AI, one of the participating companies. “Our goal is not only to showcase our technology, but to continue to use it in different settings and environments so that we can continue to fine tune and improve it.”
Brig. Gen. Scott Meyers, Michigan’s assistant adjutant general for Army-Initiatives, said about 100 soldiers and airmen from the Michigan National Guard played a hand in supporting the event, in addition to soldiers from the 126th Army Band who participated in a community showcase event at the start of the challenge.
“We continue to develop and utilize the NADWC for events such as this that not only strengthen our National Guard, but our communities as well,” Meyers said.
The NADWC includes training facilities at Camp Grayling and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, as well as the air space over and near those facilities, providing a wide range of training opportunities for visiting units. The day before the UTC, some 400 airmen from the New Jersey Air National Guard departed the Alpena CRTC after a four-day mobilization exercise, as an example.
“The CRTC is a key partner in our community, and we can think of no better place than Alpena to start the first-ever UTC,” Alpena Mayor Cindy Johnson said during the event’s opening ceremonies.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2025 10:34 |
| Story ID: | 498479 |
| Location: | ALPENA, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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