The US Navy has signed an official strategy for the military use of data and artificial intelligence. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao sealed the document on July 16, 2026, with the goal of building an “AI-first” fleet that learns and acts faster than any adversary. At its core is the so-called Bits2Effects cycle, which directly links data collection with combat response.
Strategy sets six goals and a new metric
The strategy paper is titled “Strategy to Weaponize Data and Artificial Intelligence” and is, as the US Navy states in an official release, seven pages long. It outlines six overarching goals: accelerate operational AI, improve data quality, optimize data and AI infrastructure, simplify data and AI governance, build a data- and AI-literate workforce, and strengthen partnerships. The Navy also aims to create a prioritized inventory of AI use cases that contribute directly to the military mission. The central tool is the Bits2Effects cycle, a five-step process that turns raw information into military effect. The new Mean Time to Effect metric will measure how quickly data turns into concrete action. The full strategy document also sets firm deadlines: by the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, an AI War Council is to be established to pool the Navy’s ongoing AI efforts and set priorities across fleet units. By the fourth quarter of 2029, the Navy also wants to double the number of qualified data and AI specialists – a target that is not independently verified. Cao said the strategy is meant to enable the Navy to “learn and fight faster than any adversary.”
Recent drone engagements serve as a model
As background, USNI News points to recent Navy engagements against several hundred Iranian drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. These defensive operations were the most condensed period of learning and adaptation in naval combat in recent memory. The experience showed how critical speed is when evaluating sensor data. In practice, the strategy is meant to bring large language models directly aboard warships – even when the connection to shore bases is cut. Crews could then run AI-assisted evaluations of sensor and situational data without relying on external data centers. DefenseScoop reports that the Department’s acting Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer, Ciro Lopez, is coordinating the strategy’s rollout across the coming fiscal years. The Navy also frames its initiative as part of the broader “Department of War Artificial Intelligence Strategy,” which, according to Cao, applies to all military branches and is meant to align their individual sub-strategies.
How the Navy will handle accountability once AI-assisted systems help prepare combat decisions remains an open question. The strategy so far names no independent oversight body outside the Navy’s own command structure. What will matter is whether the planned AI War Council sets clear rules for the use of autonomous evaluation systems before the first language models actually run aboard active warships.
