Washington, DC - Secretary Ray Mabus named retired Brig. Gen. Frank Kelley to be Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (DASN) for Unmanned Systems during his speech Tuesday at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's Unmanned Systems Defense 2015 event.

"General Kelley's superb operational experience as a U.S. Marine, as well as his professional expertise in the field of electronic warfare and unmanned technology make him perfectly qualified to lead this new enterprise in the Department of the Navy, and I look forward to the great work he and his team will be spearheading," said Mabus.

Kelley is the first DASN for Unmanned Systems and will assist in the planning and prioritization of unmanned systems as well as develop acquisition strategies to obtain these emerging capabilities.

The Department of the Navy officially launched the Unmanned Warfare Systems Division (N99) Sept. 15 as part of the OPNAV staff. Rear Adm. Robert Girrier was named Director, Unmanned Warfare Systems (N99).

"The change to the organization is a reflection of the priority we're placing on this emerging capability, and how critical it is that there is centralized leadership for our unmanned programs," Mabus said.

N99 is responsible for developing and accelerating unmanned systems into the Navy's warfighting capabilities as well as assessing integration of unmanned systems within the Navy. Through this new approach, resources are optimized and technical risk is reduced, saving time and money.

Girrier is responsible for the rapid development and integration of unmanned systems across portfolios currently resourced by four warfare divisions - Expeditionary Warfare (N95), Surface Warfare (N96), Undersea Warfare (N97) and Air Warfare (N98) - as well as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance and Director of Naval Intelligence (N2/N6).