Secret new U.S. Navy technology is currently being tested off the coast of California as part of a multi-billion dollar project to interlink military branches with next-generation tech.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said at a conference on Monday that Carrier Strike Group 1, a group of ships based in San Diego, is testing out new technology developed under the Navy’s secretive Project Overmatch, C4ISRNET reported.
The project is the Navy’s contribution to Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), a military-wide effort to connect sensors from across service branches, process the data with AI, and rapidly recommend options for engaging targets, as described by the Congressional Research Service.
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The system would replace individual tactical networks developed by each branch, which are often incompatible with each other, causing delayed decision-making in an increasingly fast-paced environment, according to the CRS report.
Addressing an audience at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space conference, Gilday said Project Overmatch “is in full swing right now” among Carrier Strike Group 1 and appears to be “on track, in terms of the objectives that we’re seeking and where we want to go with it.”
Carrier Strike Group 1 consists of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, its flagship, as well as a carrier air wing, a guided-missile cruiser, and a squadron of guided-missile destroyers, according to its website.
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Gilday reportedly said the Navy aims to deploy the tech in additional carrier strike groups based on the results of “experimentation in the coming months.” Gilday previously said that he is “looking to scale that fleet-wide after that, and to scale even further across the Navy,” DefenseScoop reported.
Budget documents show that the Navy requested $192 million for Project Overmatch in the next fiscal year, less than the $226 million granted for the project this year, C4ISRNET reported.
