Navy Artificial Intelligence Efforts Continue to Expand

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) continues to pursue innovative technologies and novel approaches to support the warfighting mission, improve enterprise operations, reduce costs and relieve overburdened personnel. With these joint priorities in mind, the Department of the Navy (DON) is looking to develop, pilot and deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to increase effectiveness and efficiencies across both mission and enterprise systems.

In delving into the Navy’s FY 2025 budget request (especially their Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) program budgets) and DON IT-focused activities and policy developments over the last few years, several AI-related observations and efforts are noteworthy, including:

• Generative AI and Large Language Models Guidance: In 2023, the Navy issued initial guidance on the use of Generative AI or LLM to provide interim guardrails to Navy personnel when considering the use of these technologies.
• Multi-Domain Operations Enablement: Project Overmatch, the Navy’s multi-domain operations initiative is aimed at delivering a more lethal, better-connected future fleet. As part of this effort the Navy is integrating AI and ML capabilities and connecting warfighting platforms, weapons systems and sensors to produce a robust Naval Operational Architecture that integrates with the DOD's Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) construct for enhanced Distributed Maritime Operations. The Navy is ahead of schedule. At least three carrier strike groups and numbered fleets already have the capabilities.
• Battlespace AI: The Navy is integrating AI into unmanned ships and aircraft to extend operating coverage and collect intelligence data during fleet exercises, built on a strategy of leveraging manned and unmanned systems working together. These efforts stem from the Navy’s Unmanned Campaign Framework, which emphasizes that the service must invest in AI, data capabilities and the infrastructure required to support successful unmanned systems. The Navy has created a new Robotics Warfare Specialist role to create experts in operating and maintaining robotics systems.
• Security Classification Assistance: The Navy’s Digital Warfare Office (DWO) is looking to incorporate natural language capabilities and generative AI to help assign security classification labels more accurately, more efficiently and to probe datasets more effectively.
• Expanding Automated Helpdesk with AI: The Navy’s NAVY311 personnel support line/website is now part of the Naval Enterprise Service Desk (NESD), which in 2023 launched “Amelia,” an AI-empowered virtual IT help desk platform. The digital agent leverages conversational AI to interact with and help solve user issues. The consolidation will optimize support delivery to for over one million users across the Navy.

Following Navy AI Efforts

In addition to searching for specific AI efforts in the current Navy budget, there are several resources available to help stay informed on what the Navy has planned for AI research, policy and implementation.

Possibly the most helpful is the Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence (NCARAI), as a branch within the Naval Research Laboratory’s IT division. NCARAI conducts both basic and applied research and development in AI and a range of related sciences and technologies. Various Navy commands also release information on their AI efforts. For example, the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic will occasionally highlight examples of how they are exploring AI capabilities on their website.

The Navy will continue to look small businesses for technological innovation, leveraging their Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Small business will continue to have opportunities to engage with the Navy and other partners to bring new AI capabilities to bear on naval and broader defense mission operations.

For broader Navy AI news, the DON Chief Information Officer’s (CIO) office publishes a monthly DON CIO Emerging Technologies Newsletter, which includes AI within its scope.