Navy Official Calls for Greater Focus on Technology Upgrades

Admiral Bill Moran, the U.S. Navy vice chief of naval operations, called on the service “to harness the power of data” for the military to keep up with adversaries who are seeking digital advantages. 

“Gaining a digital edge will transform the way we fight in the future,” he said in a statement Tuesday on DefenseOne. “Imagine if we could eliminate the need for calendar-driven inspection cycles because we’ve adopted real-time digital feedback in our platforms and systems.” 

Current systems used by the Navy prevent information sharing and cross-talk, which leads to digital hoarding, a problem that puts the service behind adversaries in seeking digital advantage, according to Moran.

Moran called on Navy officials to demand sharing and use of information they collect and create daily. The Navy should also update databases and outdated technology to support naval missions. 

“We all want to move faster and embed technologies like artificial intelligence or machine learning into our weapons and platforms, from the keel up,” he said. “We must first commit, as a service, to move out with one data culture, inculcating trust and scaling learning across our institution, together.”