"Ahead of the Fleet"
- Rich Washburn
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
This morning, I got a call from Frank—a longtime Navy insider and someone who doesn’t pick up the phone just to make small talk. He was calling to say, in his words, that the AI demo I ran back in October? Yeah… that’s now what people inside the Navy—including the War College—are actively discussing.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a “told you so” moment. If anything, it was a moment of reflection. What started as a forward-leaning simulation meant to spark ideas has started making its way into real strategic conversations. And hearing that from someone like Frank? That landed.
The Demo That Sparked the Call
Back in October 2024, I teamed up with Abiud Montes to deliver a live AI simulation for the Navy League of Ft. Lauderdale. It was all about exploring how nuclear-powered vessels—already floating fortresses of energy—could serve a dual role: not just as mobile warfighters, but as autonomous, off-grid data centers.
We simulated an onboard AI system capable of making decisions in real time, even without external data feeds. The idea was to show how surplus energy from a ship’s nuclear reactor could power advanced AI systems for tasks like predictive maintenance, sensor fusion, and tactical response. Bold? Maybe. But as Frank’s call reminded me, not off the mark.
Frank’s Perspective: A Wider, Deeper Conversation
What started as a quick check-in turned into a deep dive. Frank’s seen a lot—military air command, naval logistics, intelligence projects, the works. When he says something has legs, it’s not speculation—it’s pattern recognition.
He mentioned that concepts from the demo—modular AI, distributed systems, energy-aware computing—are now part of the internal Navy dialogue. That includes not just operational teams, but strategy circles like the War College.
And from there, we went wide.
We talked about underwater drones acting as autonomous scouts. About AI running continuous diagnostics on propulsion systems. About predictive analytics flagging a maintenance issue before it sidelines a mission. We even got into how decentralized AI systems could fundamentally change how fleets coordinate—less latency, more autonomy, higher survivability.
Beyond the Tech: A Look at the Shipyards
Frank also brought up something I didn’t expect: the state of U.S. shipbuilding. Even if the AI is ready, the infrastructure to build the vessels it belongs in is... lagging. Many yards are operating below capacity or stuck in legacy cycles. But he sees a role for AI here too—streamlining builds, improving inspection processes, even modernizing the supply chain. The opportunity isn’t just on the water; it’s on the docks.
Not About Being Right—It’s About Being Ready
I didn’t build that simulation last fall to be “first.” I built it to ask better questions. To provoke thought. To show what’s possible when energy, intelligence, and autonomy converge in the right way. Frank’s call was a reminder that those questions landed—and that the conversation is still unfolding.
So yeah, maybe we were a little ahead of the fleet. But that’s not the headline.
The headline is this: the future is catching up. And it’s moving fast.
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