During the visit, NAVWAR Commander Rear Adm. Doug Small briefed the Honorable Carlos Del Toro on his team’s progress to speed the delivery of advanced capabilities in support of Project Overmatch.
“It is imperative that we drive better horizontal integration across our weapons, platforms, and sensors, to provide a decision advantage over our adversaries and to help us deliver a more lethal and better-connected fleet far into the future,” said Del Toro. “Today, I was able to see firsthand how NAVWAR’s exceptional team of technical experts are working across system commands, warfare centers and industry, both defense and commercial, to effectively exploit the most advanced technologies available in support of Project Overmatch.”
Project Overmatch is a multi-command effort aimed at enabling a Navy and Marine Corps that swarms the sea, delivering synchronized lethal and non-lethal effects from near-and-far, every axis and every domain. Critical to Project Overmatch is the development of networks, infrastructure, data architecture, tools and analytics that support the operational and developmental environment that will enable sustained maritime dominance using manned and unmanned systems.
Project Overmatch will leverage the latest in digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and information and networking technologies for improved fleet readiness worldwide. This includes NAVWAR’s Artificial Intelligence and Networks Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (AINetANTX) Prize Challenges, focused on identifying solutions at speed, in support of Project Overmatch.
To deliver this modernized network, the AINetANTX Prize Challenges are open to all U.S. citizens, including commercial, government and academic individuals or teams, lowering the barrier to entry and increasing the competitive landscape to identify the best solutions possible. Del Toro had the opportunity to observe the AINetANTX operational and technical assessments while meeting with those leading the competition.
“The AINetANTX has challenged industry to strip their innovations out of their platforms and incentivized them to integrate their technology into our architectures and use our data,” said NAVWAR Science and Technology Director Carly Jackson. “The participants had less than three months but the initial insights are quite compelling.”
Each prize challenge is offering $100,000 for the best solutions presented, with a combined $200,000 in total cash prizes. Winners will be announced later this month.
Project Overmatch, has expanded the NAVWAR mission with an ever-increasing focus on speed and agility, highlighting the need for modern, safe, secure facilities to meet the command’s critical, high-tech, cybersecurity mission.
Del Toro also visited NAVWAR Headquarters, currently located in World War II aircraft factories built in 1941 as an assembly plant for B-24 bombers. These 80-year-old buildings are not compatible with NAVWAR’s rapidly growing mission today.
Del Toro learned about the NAVWAR Old Town Campus Revitalization project, a proposed public-private venture that could result in a new, modern, 1.5 million square foot NAVWAR facility. In addition to providing the ability to execute the command mission, a new modern facility would attract the skills and talent needed to outpace adversaries in today’s fast moving, more complex and increasingly competitive environment.
"The Navy requires secure, safe, modern, state-of-the-art facilities to support NAVWAR’s and Project Overmatch's mission requirements," said NAVWAR Revitalization Project Manager Greg Geisen. "Facilities suitable to this mission will accelerate the development, delivery and integration of advanced technology to give our warfighters decisive advantages in battle, both today and tomorrow."
Del Toro is one of many high profile Navy leaders who have visited the command in recent months for updates on Project Overmatch and the NAVWAR Old Town Campus Revitalization project. With strong public support, NAVWAR continues to work alongside the City of San Diego, San Diego County and the greater region to create a facility capable of supporting high priority Navy initiatives including Project Overmatch.
About NAVWAR:
NAVWAR identifies, develops, delivers and sustains information warfighting capabilities and services that enable naval, joint, coalition and other national missions operating in warfighting domains from seabed to space and through cyberspace. NAVWAR consists of more than 11,000 civilian, active duty and reserve professionals located around the world.