Surface Navy Building Digital Infrastructure to Harness AI.

• Author: Easley, Mikayla
• Position: NAVY TECHNOLOGY

The Pentagon has identified advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies as critical components to winning future conflicts. To follow suit, the Navy's surface fleet has begun laying down the foundations for a digital infrastructure that can leverage the technology in contested environments.

The sea service is developing several platforms to capitalize on the capabilities that both AI and machine learning can offer. Rear Adm. Casey Moton, program executive officer for unmanned and small combatants at Naval Sea Systems Command, said the technology will likely permeate the force in the future.

"AI/ML is one of those watershed technologies in the history of the Navy," he said during a panel at the Surface Navy Association's annual symposium. It "is going to fundamentally change what we do."

Unmanned surface vehicles are one of several new capabilities the Navy is pursuing that readily uses artificial intelligence. According to a Congressional Research Service report titled, "Navy Large Unmanned Surface and Undersea Vehicles: Background and Issues for Congress," the technologies required for autonomous operations--like AI--will be key for the service's unmanned capabilities. (For more on the Navy's autonomous systems, see page 26)

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are also critical to the service's new maintenance initiative, Condition-Based Maintenance Plus. Once operational, the capability will leverage AI and ML to sort through a ship's data and use predictive analytics to identify issues with systems and subsystems that need to be addressed to preempt problems at sea, said Capt. Scott Larson, program manager for surface ship readiness and sustainment at NAVSEA. (For more on CBM Plus, see page 30)

In order to successfully implement AI to its fullest potential, the sea service is first building a robust digital infrastructure so it can harness the available data.

One line of effort is Task Force Hopper, which the Navy stood up in October. The group is made up of key stakeholders focused on the foundational aspects of artificial intelligence and machine learning adoption across the surface fleet.

Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener, commander of Naval Surface Force, highlighted the task force in his strategic guidance released in January, "Surface Warfare: The Competitive Edge." He directed Task Force Hopper to publish a list of action items with a "10-year horizon" no later than June 1.

"As warfare and information grow...