Navy Dedicates More Resources To Secretive Project Overmatch.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin

The Navy is making headway in its secretive Project Overmatch, which is expected to be a key contributor to the military's plans for joint all-domain command and control, or JADC2.

The sea service has stood up a new office specifically designed to tackle the challenge. Compared to the Air Force and Army, which are working on their own JADC2 efforts, the Navy has been relatively mum on details about its initiative. However, some information has been disclosed.

Project Overmatch "is a seamless network that will leverage demonstrated progress in command-and-control in all domains and facilitate the mannedunmanned teaming of the future that would be required for future warfare," said Frederick Stefany, acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition.

President Joe Biden's proposed fiscal year 2022 budget request asks for funding for key enablers for Project Overmatch, he noted during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee on seapower hearing in June.

While the Navy shared few details about the effort in its publicly released fiscal blueprint, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget Rear Adm. John Gumbleton said the proposal includes three classified research-anddevelopment line items in support of Project Overmatch.

"Those values do increase," he said in May during a briefing with reporters. "Project Overmatch is the priority right behind Columbia [submarines]. ... It competes quite well for funds. I wouldn't say it's resource-limited at all."

The Navy has said the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program--which is replacing its aging Ohio-class boomers--is its No. 1 priority, but Project Overmatch is high on the list at No. 2, according to Gumbleton.

According to budget documents, the Navy is increasing investments in the lethality of legacy platforms--through both system modernization and new capabilities--that will support Project Overmatch's goal of creating a seamless network of sensors, manned and unmanned platforms and weapons for decision advantage.

The Navy asked for a small boost in its overall information warfare program portfolio--which will help support these efforts--in the budget proposal, going from $5.62 billion in fiscal year 2021 to $5.87 billion in 2022, according to service documents.

Project Overmatch was stood up by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday in October 2020. Earlier this year, he visited with leaders and engineering experts at Naval Information Warfare...