# U.S. Navy Invests in Maritime Connectivity

The U.S. Navy is prioritizing investments in resilient and ubiquitous communication networks as a cornerstone of maintaining maritime dominance in contested environments. Under the Operation Cattle Drive initiative, the Navy plans to modernize its IT infrastructure by retiring legacy systems and deploying advanced connectivity solutions that support artificial intelligence, autonomous platforms, and rapid data sharing. This modernization effort aims to enable operations in degraded or denied environments, reflecting strategic priorities articulated by Navy leadership including CIO Barry Tanner and CNO Daryl Caudle.

- Procurement professionals should anticipate upcoming opportunities focused on network modernization, edge computing, and resilient communication technologies tailored for maritime operations.
- Contractors with expertise in secure, high-availability communication systems and AI-enabled network solutions are well-positioned to support the Navy's evolving requirements.
- This initiative signals increased demand for technologies that enhance operational agility and data integration across distributed naval assets in key regions such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Pacific Ocean.
- Organizations should align proposals with the Navy's strategic emphasis on autonomy and battlespace awareness to maximize competitiveness in forthcoming solicitations.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Digital Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** September 22, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Navy (USN)

### Key Quotes
> The establishment of ubiquitous and resilient transport is critical to strategies like Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle talks about, his hedge strategy moving forward with both ships and autonomous systems to flood the battlespace with all the capability necessary to maintain that dominant posture.
> — Barry Tanner, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Navy

### Sources
- [Navy CIO: Investing in connectivity key to continued ‘maritime dominance’  | DefenseScoop](https://defensescoop.com/2026/09/22/navy-cio-investing-in-connectivity-key-to-continued-maritime-dominance) - defensescoop.com