The U.S. Navy is turning its attention to the private sector to acquire advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) solutions to enhance the effectiveness of its Maritime Operations Centers (MOCs), according to a new solicitation issued on May 23.

“The Navy seeks commercial AI/ML applications that accelerate the convergence of MOC-destined data inputs [e.g. intelligence reports, satellite-derived data and existing common operational picture tools, etc.] to improve situational awareness for operators and optimize existing decision support tools by offering track confidence scoring and real-time recommendations to assist commanders in allocating geographically dispersed resources [e.g. satellites, aircraft, vessels, etc],” the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), under the Navy’s Situational Awareness by Intelligent Learning Systems program, stated.

It adds that submissions must demonstrate the ability to develop and deploy AI/ML applications for MOC operations, including workflow automation via APIs, ML-based track confidence scoring, sensor/resource optimization, and modular interfaces. Proposals should highlight real-world implementations, interpretability, user-tunable models, and alignment with DIU’s Responsible AI Guidelines and DoD AI frameworks.

Earlier this year, the Navy asked its members to avoid using Artificial Intelligence (AI) models developed by Chinese startup DeepSeek, citing potential security and ethical concerns related to its origin and usage.