UFORCE announced the appointment of Sean Plankey as Chief Executive Officer for the U.S. as the autonomous systems defense technology company expands its presence across the American defense market. Based in Washington, Plankey will lead the company’s U.S. growth strategy, including government engagement, strategic partnerships, manufacturing initiatives, and integration across defense, maritime, and critical infrastructure markets.
The company said the appointment comes as global allied defense organizations accelerate modernization efforts around autonomous systems and unmanned technologies. UFORCE has positioned itself as a combat-proven autonomous systems platform built by combining Ukrainian battlefield innovation with Western capital, governance, and distribution capabilities.
Plankey most recently served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security overseeing the United States Coast Guard. He was also twice nominated by the President of the United States to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the nation’s civilian cyber defense agency.
Prior to that role, Plankey held senior leadership positions in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and defense technology, including serving as Global Leader for Cybersecurity Software at WTW and Chief Technology Officer for Public Sector at DataRobot. Earlier in his career, he worked at the U.S. Department of Energy and on the National Security Council as Director for Maritime and Pacific Cybersecurity Policy.
UFORCE said its Magura unmanned surface vessel has become one of the most operationally proven platforms in modern maritime warfare. The company noted that the platform helped destroy multiple Russian warships in the Black Sea and became the first unmanned surface vessel to down manned helicopters and fighter aircraft. UFORCE added that it has supported more than 200,000 missions in Ukraine.
The company expects its first American-made unmanned surface vessels to launch this summer as part of a roadmap focused on scaling serial production capabilities in the United States.
UFORCE also said it continues expanding its full-stack autonomous systems platform spanning aerial, maritime, and ground unmanned systems, advanced autonomy software, and command-and-control technologies.
KEY QUOTES:
“As allied governments rethink deterrence and force projection, UFORCE is exceptionally positioned to deliver capabilities already tested by the most sophisticated militaries in the world and under demanding battlefield conditions. Sean’s decision to join UFORCE reflects the strength of our platform and the growing recognition that the future of autonomous defense will be shaped by companies able to combine real combat validation with scalable Western deployment.”
Oleg Rogynskyy, CEO, UFORCE
“UFORCE represents something fundamentally important for the future of allied security. The company brings together combat-proven autonomous systems, extraordinary engineering talent, and a model capable of rapidly scaling next-generation defense technologies across allied nations. What Ukrainian engineers and operators achieved over the past several years changed the trajectory of modern warfare.”
“The United States and its allies are looking for defense technology partners that can move quickly, innovate continuously and deliver systems already proven across theaters of combat. UFORCE is uniquely positioned to meet that demand and we will do that by manufacturing these capabilities in America.”
Sean Plankey, U.S. Chief Executive Officer, UFORCE
