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Feb 13 2026
Artificial Intelligence

WEST 2026: DECK Will Turn Navy Ships Into ‘Learning Systems’

The Golden Fleet needs a way to use data gathered at the tactical edge to retrain artificial intelligence models supporting operations underway.

The Navy is deploying the Data Edge Collection Kit (DECK) to allow its ships to collect operational data they can then use to retrain artificial intelligence models on the fly, according to the Navy secretary.

Speaking at WEST 2026 in San Diego Thursday, John Phelan said DECK will function as the data engine for the Navy’s AI-enabled Golden Fleet at the tactical edge.

The Golden Fleet initiative, announced by President Trump in December 2025, aims to produce modern battleships capable of carrying weapons and command-and-control (C2) capabilities the Navy currently lacks. DECK will improve fleet readiness and responsiveness.

“It turns ships into learning systems, not static platforms, enabling an iterative and adaptable feedback loop with legacy, bespoke architectures that historically evolved only through programmatic redesign,” Phelan said.

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ShipOS Offers Real-Time Visibility Into Fleet Production

In addition to building the fleet using AI-enabled design and scheduling tools for increasing productivity and advanced manufacturing, the Navy is working to synthesize its platforms. That includes integrating unmanned systems with C2, logistics, targeting, sustainment and execution capabilities.

DECK, generative AI and ShipOS — the “connective tissue” of the Golden Fleet — are all part of the equation, Phelan said.

The $448 million ShipOS operating system links shipyards, suppliers, program offices and operators, offering real-time visibility into production bottlenecks, sustainment risks and execution timelines.

“Fragmented data slows decisions. Slow decisions lose wars,” Phelan said. “AI changes that.”

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Accelerating the Navy’s Partnerships With Industry

AI is delivering value for the Navy in sensor fusion and targeting, predictive maintenance, logistics optimization across distance, and adaptive C2.

The rollout of genai.mil across the service will bring the technology into daily planning and analysis, Phelan said.

Even with unmanned systems and AI supplementing service members, private-sector partnerships “must be accelerated” to deliver capital, speed and innovation to the Navy, Phelan said. Meanwhile, the Navy’s role is to provide clear mission requirements and accountability for outcomes.

“Compressed timelines demand instant decisions,” Phelan said. “And the complexity of the battlespace exceeds human cognition alone.”

Photo Courtesy of the Navy