By Navy League Communications
The Thursday sessions of the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space 2020: Virtual Edition, hosted by Government Matters, looked at the cutting-edge innovations that are top of mind for the sea services, focusing on the modern warfighter.
The first session discussed space: a tried and true domain of focus for the sea services but one that has come into a brighter spotlight thanks to the formation of the Space Command. While the history of space exploration is rooted in government efforts, speakers focused on the democratization of the domain. They also discussed how a presence in low-Earth orbit in the era of “Great Power Competition” is essential and how creating space domain awareness can give the sea services a clear picture of “what’s up there and why its up there.”
The second session of the day discussed artificial intelligence and how the Navy and Marine Corps are approaching the AI technology explosion.
Adm. David Hahn, chief of naval research, discussed the how the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the current playing fields of algorithmic development, machine learning, big data and data uncertainties. He noted that due to these achievements, the timescales where people expect solutions to hard problems has intensified, mirroring the expectations of the Navy in the great power competition.
Jennifer Edgin, assistant deputy commandant for information for the U.S. Marine Corps, focused on the disparities between narrow AI, which is being proven daily in the business world, and widespread and complex AI, which is still in its infancy. She discussed the Marine Corps’ path forward, focusing on user-centric design concept to create AI technology for Marines alongside the scientific and academic communities.
To view all these sessions, go to our Sea-Air-Space 2020: Virtual Edition Modern Warfighter page.
And go to our Seapower magazine website for all the latest news from this week’s programming.
Tomorrow we will close out Sea-Air-Space 2020: Virtual Edition with a look at cybersecurity and how the sea services are taking a smart approach to its newly virtual workforce.