Jane Edwards
Mike McCalip, vice president for government programs and strategy at Carahsoft Technology, said integrating artificial intelligence into maritime missions and preparing data for mission readiness are some of the key themes discussed at a recent maritime conference.
Accelerating Decision-Making With AI
In a blog post published Monday, McCalip discussed how AI could provide real-time actionable insights for sea service personnel and help speed up their decision-making processes.
“Integrating AI and other autonomous systems into military operations can satisfy the critical need for close collaboration between the technology industry and the defense sector,” he wrote.
McCalip noted that speakers at the Sea-Air-Space 2025 conference talked about the significance of discovering practical applications of AI, automation and machine learning in warfighting, logistics, readiness and business processes, among other areas.
Leveraging Data to Improve Operational Readiness
In this piece, the Carahsoft executive cited how autonomous systems could enable sea services to gather data from diverse sources and turn it into actionable insights to enhance operational readiness, strengthen lethality and accelerate response at the tactical edge.
“Technology with visualization tools, such as user-friendly dashboards, make data more accessible and predictive,” McCalip wrote. “This readability enables forces to anticipate failures, identify vulnerabilities and make data-driven decisions that impact mission readiness, ensuring personnel are equipped to outpace evolving threats.”
Advancing Innovation Through Modern, Iterative Approaches
According to McCalip, the maritime services are shifting toward modern, iterative approaches to support innovation and experimentation.
He noted that this shift involves key strategies, including using agile methodologies and continuous delivery pipelines; providing operational teams with the authority to advance mission-specific platforms; developing open, modular systems with interoperability standards; and involving end-users throughout the process.
“By decentralizing development and giving operational teams the authority to drive mission-specific solutions, the Navy aims to collapse development timelines, remove bureaucratic friction and deliver high-impact capabilities faster,” McCalip stated.
“The initiative provides persistent, mission-aligned funding streams that support innovation and experimentation without excessive risk aversion, creating pathways for scalable solutions at the pace of technological advancement,” he added.
