The US Department of the Navy has adopted its first department-wide strategy to integrate artificial intelligence and data across naval operations, laying out a roadmap to build an AI-first force capable of turning information into a battlefield advantage.
Signed by Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, the strategy prioritizes expanding operational AI, modernizing digital infrastructure, developing an AI-ready workforce, and strengthening collaboration with industry and allied partners.
An AI Roadmap for Naval Warfare
Central to the strategy is the Bits2Effects Cycle, a five-step framework designed to rapidly integrate data and AI into operational decision-making during both peacetime competition and armed conflict.
Under the approach, promising AI projects will be evaluated, refined, and fielded more quickly while mission-critical data is standardized, easier to discover, and readily shared across the force.
The roadmap also calls for deploying secure, modular AI infrastructure while modernizing governance to speed implementation and enable faster decision-making.
“This strategy positions the Department of the Navy to out-learn and out-fight any adversary by rapidly deploying data and artificial intelligence,” Cao said.
“It is our roadmap to building an ‘AI-first’ fleet, one that turns information into warfighting advantage and enables faster, better decisions.”
The strategy is the navy’s latest contribution to the Pentagon’s broader push to accelerate military AI adoption. Earlier this year, the defense department expanded access to frontier AI models within classified networks and launched a series of projects to speed AI integration across warfighting, intelligence, and enterprise operations.
