5 Takeaways from WEST 2026

The Navy is restructuring how it buys, builds and scales technology to operate at the “speed of software.”

The newly established Navy Rapid Capabilities Office acts a “catcher’s mitt” to transition innovation into scalable programs, while iterative development models embed warfighters directly into delivery teams. Duncan McCaskill, vice president of Data at Maximus, said modernized data infrastructure and a recalibrated risk approach are essential for accelerating secure software delivery, especially in contested edge environments.

The changes reflect a cultural and structural shift across the Department of the Navy and enable the service to deliver capabilities “early and often,” according to Louis Koplin, acting program executive officer for PEO Digital. The Navy aims to incorporate continuous feedback and move at operational tempo to ensure the fleet is prepared for future conflict.

Navy leaders framed modernization as a whole-of-enterprise strategy under the Trump administration’s Golden Fleet initiative. Secretary John Phelan said the effort is not simply about building more ships, but rather fielding a high-low mix of crewed and uncrewed platforms integrated with AI to deliver decision advantage, resilience and scalable combat power.

The strategy is backed by the administration’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget increase, which leaders said would stabilize procurement and allow shipbuilders to invest in facilities and workforce development.

Mike Vernazza, commander of Naval Information Forces, said the Navy’s soon-to-be-released updated Maritime Operations Center manual will codify AI-enabled planning, predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making across the fleet.

Shery Thomas, enterprise IT officer at Navy Installations Command, said the Navy is shifting from traditional risk management frameworks to a continuous cybersecurity model under the Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct.

The approach emphasizes continuous observability, AI-enabled threat detection and greater supply chain scrutiny, while also addressing cultural barriers to treating cyber readiness as a “live” mission across installations.

The Marine Corps is also embedding cyber and information operations into expeditionary force design. Carter warned that future conflicts will hinge on dominance in the information domain, requiring faster data collection, decision-making and action cycles.

The character of warfare is increasingly defined by how quickly services can learn from data, with artificial intelligence serving as the engine behind that shift and enabling sea services to deliver data-driven effects faster than traditional processes allow.

The services are embedding AI talent and tools directly within operational units. Maj. Christopher Clark, AI lead at the Marine Corps, highlighted how digital transformation teams allow Marines to rapidly identify problems, iterate code and apply analytics to real-world operations. This approach emphasizes mission alignment, agility and actionable insights over theoretical planning.

AI is also transforming human roles, shifting personnel to being “on the loop” rather than “in the loop.” Labor-intensive tasks such as image analysis, predictive maintenance and logistics are increasingly automated, freeing operators to focus on critical decision-making.

The Naval Postgraduate School launched a new AI-focused master’s program to field AI-literate officers as early as 2027. Capt. Mike Owen, information warfare chair at NPS, said the initiative aims to close the widening gap between the pace of technological change and the Navy’s ability to operationalize emerging tools.

NPS also developed AI 101 and prompt-engineering workshops at major Navy and Marine Corps hubs. Expanded access to platforms like GenAI.mil is allowing students to experiment with advanced models and translate research into real-world capability for the fleet.