REGENT, the Rhode Island-based company developing all-electric seagliders for coastal maritime transportation and high-speed logistics, today formally announced the formation of a Defense Advisory Board with four former senior military leaders from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard.
The inaugural members are General Robert Neller, USMC (ret.), former Commandant of the Marine Corps; Admiral Charles Ray, USCG (ret.), former Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard; LtGen Michael Dana, USMC (ret.), former Deputy Commandant, Installations & Logistics, U.S. Marine Corps; and LtGen George Trautman, USMC (ret.), former Deputy Commandant, Aviation, U.S. Marine Corps.
The focus of the Board will be on honing the various defense applications and use cases for seagliders, aligning their potential applicability with existing high-level strategic guidance, and helping to shape REGENT’s overarching approach to those markets, both domestically and abroad. REGENT’s flagship product, Viceroy, which will carry either 12 passengers or 3500 pounds of cargo, strongly aligns with a recognized need within the U.S. Department of Defense for high-speed, low-cost, low-signature, runway independent mobility in the littorals. REGENT hopes to work alongside all the branches of the Armed Services, particularly those within the U.S. Marine Corps and the Special Operations community, to further refine the requirements and ultimate procurement of seagliders in support of the nation’s defense.
“We’re thrilled to have this esteemed group supporting and advising REGENT. Their depth of experience, strategic vision, and dedication to ensuring that our nation’s servicemembers have the very best tools and technologies available to them, make each member an invaluable addition to our REGENT team,” said Billy Thalheimer, REGENT co-founder and CEO. “It’s humbling to have their advocacy and support and to know that REGENT’s seagliders will not only revolutionize coastal transportation but will also play a role in strengthening our national security.”
“REGENT’s wing-in-ground effect seagliders have the potential to revolutionize overwater logistics in the littorals,” Trautman said. “No other technology promises similar range, speed, safety, and payload characteristics in a platform that is electrically powered and environmentally friendly. I can envision military applications for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) variants in the near term and clean sheet options for specific defense related missions in the future.”
