UFORCE Appoints Sean Plankey as U.S. Chief Executive Officer

Former senior U.S. homeland security, cyber and defense technology leader to accelerate UFORCE's expansion across the American defense market

Magura unmanned surface vessel battle-tested by the most sophisticated militaries in the world and under demanding battlefield conditions

LONDON and KYIV, Ukraine and WASHINGTON, May 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- UFORCE, the autonomous systems defense technology company built to unify and scale the world's most combat-proven unmanned platforms, today announced the appointment of Sean Plankey as Chief Executive Officer for the U.S. Plankey will capitalize on strong global momentum, leading the company's American growth strategy. This includes government engagement, strategic partnerships, enabling or building U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities, and integration across defense, maritime and critical infrastructure markets.

Plankey most recently served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security overseeing the United States Coast Guard and was twice nominated by the President of the United States to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), America's lead civilian cyber defense agency.

Plankey joins UFORCE at a pivotal moment for the company and allied defense modernization efforts globally. As autonomous systems reshape the future of warfare, UFORCE emerged as one of the sector's most operationally proven platforms, combining frontline Ukrainian innovation with Western capital, governance and global distribution capabilities. UFORCE provides tip-of-the-spear combat capability, aiming to become the leading manufacturer of combat drones in the world and prevent the next major conflict.

Produced exclusively by UFORCE, the Magura unmanned surface vessel owns one of the most impactful and reliable combat records in modern maritime warfare, helping destroy dozens of Russian warships in the Black Sea and becoming the first unmanned surface vessel to down manned helicopters and fighter aircraft. UFORCE has supported more than 200,000 missions in Ukraine.

"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," said Oleg Rogynskyy, CEO of UFORCE. "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."

At DHS, Plankey led a major transformation across the Coast Guard, helping to modernize operations and mission readiness, including drones. Previously, Plankey held senior leadership roles across cybersecurity, AI and defense technology, including Global Leader for Cybersecurity Software at WTW and Chief Technology Officer for Public Sector at DataRobot. Earlier in his career, Plankey served at the U.S. Department of Energy as well as on the National Security Council as Director for Maritime and Pacific Cybersecurity Policy.

"UFORCE represents something fundamentally important for the future of allied security," said Plankey. "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," Plankey added. "UFORCE is uniquely positioned to meet that demand and we will do that by manufacturing these capabilities in America."

UFORCE expects its first American made USVs to hit the water this summer, advancing a roadmap that will rapidly bring serial production of its leading unmanned systems to US shores.

UFORCE continues to grow its footprint while building a full-stack autonomous systems platform spanning aerial, maritime and ground unmanned systems, advanced autonomy software, and command-and-control technologies. UFORCE platforms succeed because frontline operators choose them, as Ukraine's procurement system lets operators select equipment via website.

About UFORCE

UFORCE is a UK-based defense technology operating company built to unify and scale the world's most battle-proven autonomous systems. UFORCE unified nine leading Ukrainian defense technology developers and manufacturers into a single company, with headquarters in London and operations in Ukraine. By combining Ukrainian frontline innovation with Western capital, governance, and global distribution, UFORCE delivers next-generation autonomous defense capabilities to allied militaries. The company's full-stack platform includes hardware systems spanning aerial, maritime and ground unmanned platforms, advanced autonomy software, and command-and-control solutions.

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SOURCE UFORCE