Beyond the Spreadsheet: How SWSC’s grassroots AI Team is building Fleet solutions
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jacob I. Allison, SWSC Public Affairs
NAVAL STATION NEWPORT, R.I. – Six weeks ago, none of the Sailors crowded into the small office knew how to write enterprise software. Their combined programming background amounted to a few introductory classes taken years ago in high school or college. Today, the Artificial Intelligence Integration working group at Surface Warfare Schools Command (SWSC) is building custom applications that process thousands of lines of data, streamline administrative tracking, and align fleet training standards from Rhode Island to Japan. The SWSC AI team, comprising commissioned and enlisted instructors and staff, is leveraging Navy-approved generative AI tools and large language models to bypass traditional multi-year acquisition cycles and deliver tools directly to the deckplates in weeks rather than years. "None of us have any real coding experience," said Lt. Blake Fontaine, a SWSC mariner skills instructor and member of the AI Integration Team. "We definitely would not be able to create applications or sort through thousands of lines of Excel data effectively without these tools. Developing them gives the data meaning and allows leadership to make data-based decisions versus just hoping for the best." The initiative followed Navy directives encouraging commands to explore artificial intelligence capabilities. Early adopters at SWSC stood up an informal working group, bringing together naval subject matter experts across multiple directorates to learn about generative AI platforms and build practical tools. "We spent a couple of weeks just trying to figure out what it is and what we can do with it," said Lt. Cmdr. John Golden, the leader of the AI integration team and SWSC’s director, command action group. "Now, we're building enterprise solutions for the command and looking even broader for data management across the enterprise." SWSC operates a global footprint, managing 23 learning sites from Yokosuka, Japan, to Rota, Spain. Maintaining consistent training standards across that network has traditionally required manual data entry from both officer program managers and enlisted instructors. Before the team began developing these new applications, tracking metrics meant Sailors repeatedly entered the same information into spreadsheets, casualty reports, and presentation decks. The team's new dashboards will automate that pipeline: instructors enter data once, and the system dynamically feeds visual displays tailored for fleet and type commanders. The primary goal remains standardized warfighting readiness across every classroom and simulator in the fleet. "The ability to connect each of those commands in a near real-time way with data will not only enable us to create more effective sailors on the waterfront, it helps us make sure we're standardizing our training across the world," Golden said. "I know that an instructor teaching firefighting in Yokosuka has the exact same updated information as a trainer in Hawaii or here in Newport." Because the developers are active-duty surface warfighters who understand deckplate problems, software adjustments happen on the spot. If an end-user on the deckplates requests a new data layout or filter, the team can rewrite the underlying code in an enterprise-approved environment within hours. "Never before have we actually been able to get the end-user—the warfighter—as close to the developer," Golden said. "We are now able to do both. If something doesn't work for us, we don't have to wait for a contract. We can just log on and rebuild the code in an enterprise tool. If we invest time and resources into this as a fleet, it's going to make traditional software contracting procedures obsolete." Surface Warfare Schools Command readies surface warfighters to lead, execute, and win across the spectrum of maritime operations by delivering practical, high-impact, and specialized naval training to officers and enlisted sailors throughout a global network of learning centers.
| Date Taken: | 07.23.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.23.2026 15:04 |
| Story ID: | 570606 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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