Vice Adm. George Wikoff, commander of the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet and CMF or the Combined Maritime Forces, said the service branch has taken on the challenge of using artificial intelligence as a foundation in its mission to pinpoint, assess and neutralize adversaries intermixed with innocent mariners at sea.
Speaking at the recent 3rd Saudi International Maritime Forum, Wikoff cited as an example the Project 33 initiative of Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, seeking to deploy AI in maritime tasks through robotic and autonomous systems, the Navy said Monday.
AI’s Use in Allied Operations
Wikoff also noted the unmanned systems that US Naval Forces Central Command’s Task Force 59 has integrated into multilateral and bilateral exercises as one way of tapping AI’s potential for rapid identification and sharing of common maritime threats among allies. In January, the task force formed Task Group 59.1 focused on deploying unmanned systems partnered with manned operators to boost maritime security in the Middle East.
“AI unleashes our ability to assess terabytes of data rapidly, compare it against existing data, analyze patterns, and identify abnormalities, enabling us to accelerate our decision-making processes with increased accuracy,” Wikoff stressed.
Besides Wikoff, the three-day Saudi maritime forum also featured speakers who discussed not only AI’s role in maritime security. Other topics across five dialog sessions and 21 workshops included military industries in AI-driven technologies and advanced maritime systems’ impacts on security and cybersecurity. An exhibition on services and innovations from maritime security companies is another highlight of the forum wherein 29 government agencies joined.
