U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Seiko Okano spoke at the recent 2025 WEST Conference, where she underscored the need for transformative change in order to achieve progress in innovations that would equip the fleet with next-generation capabilities.
‘A Culture Problem’
A news article published Tuesday on the U.S. Navy website reported that for Okano, a shift has to happen in terms of culture and in terms of the development ecosystem.
“This isn’t a technology problem; this is a culture problem. The faster we figure out how to shift this together, I think we win,” the head of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, or NAVWAR, said during one panel.
“The Navy has always prided itself on having brilliant technologists at our research labs, but we should also embrace the really fantastic solutions from industry that we can leverage to help us innovate at speed,” Okano added.
Breaking Down Silos
During another panel, the Navy official noted how the boundaries delineating traditional warfare domains are now being blurred and that NAVWAR has a key role to play in this shift.
“Our role is to deliver a decisive information advantage, requiring speed, agility and adaptability,” Okano explained. And to achieve that, she called back to the need for a culture change.
“The challenge is breaking down silos, fostering collaboration and instilling a culture that embraces rapid change to meet the demands of modern conflict,” the NAVWAR commander said.
