Dual-hatted as the direct reporting program manager for Project Overmatch, the Navy’s contribution to Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), Small joined other sea service leaders on a panel entitled “Command and Control (C2) for Distributed Maritime Operations.” Together they shared the latest updates on their efforts to provide operational commanders network-centric systems and software needed to connect joint, partner, and key allied forces across land, air, sea, space and cyberspace.

Small opened by describing the NAVWAR workforce and the role they play in Navy operations, as well as his robust, cross-functional Project Overmatch team that is working on systems of systems rapid integration and fielding a new naval operating architecture.

“The operational architecture that we’re developing is all about enhancing Distributed Maritime Operations – the way naval power is delivered to the Joint Force Commander,” he said. “From the strategic to tactical level of war, this architecture allows the command and control to flow from the joint commander down to each individual unit.”

Later that day, Small delivered remarks from the Navy’s Information Warfare (IW) Pavilion, where he stressed that building the digital literacy in Sailors and civilians is a part of a larger, underlying aspect of workforce development. The goal is a shift to a culture of innovation where people cannot wait to come to work to solve tough problems.

“There is so just much talent across the services,” he said. “We are seeing it more with software factories and through script-a-thons, where Sailors are creating software and applications that are automating activities that can reduce thousands of hours of maintenance. That is the key with modern software methods and digital platforms; we can lower the bar for people to do that by themselves and come up with really solid solutions.”

In addition to participation from Small, the IW pavilion at Sea-Air-Space brought together a contingent of IW commands, allowing the team to share the IW mission and priorities with industry professionals who design and build the platforms, software, and other information technology solutions needed across all domains.

As it has in previous years, the IW Pavilion featured an engagement zone, where attendees had the opportunity to join Navy leaders, program managers and other subject matter experts for informal, sit-down conversations in multiple sessions throughout the three-day conference.

These dialogues help to connect government and military leaders with industry partners with the goal of improving and modernizing capabilities for the fleet, as quickly as possible.

“Engaging with our industry partners, specifically small business and veteran-owned, and connecting them with resources like the Information Warfare Research Project and our Tech Bridges, supports not only our NAVWAR goals, but Department of Navy goals as well,” said Jen Shauger, senior scientific technical manager and competency director for logistics and lifecycle engineering at Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic.

Hosted by the Navy League of the United States, Sea-Air-Space is now the largest maritime exposition in the United States and continues as an invaluable extension of the Navy League's mission of maritime policy, education and sea service support.

About NAVWAR:
NAVWAR identifies, develops, delivers and sustains information warfighting capabilities and services that enable naval, joint, coalition and other national missions operating in warfighting domains from seabed to space and through cyberspace. NAVWAR consists of more than 11,000 civilian, active duty and reserve professionals located around the world.