Marine Corps names leadership for Project Dynamis amid push for new AI capabilities

Col. Arlon Smith was tapped to direct the project.

September 23, 2025

Listen to this article

0:00

This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment.

A rendering of what someone using the new Project Overmatch capability known as Maven would look like. A unified tactical display that provides insight on vessels across the world, the Maven program overlays real-time ship readiness and sustainment data right at the user’s fingertips by utilizing artificial intelligence. It was created by Project Overmatch and Palantir in collaboration. (Image found on DVIDS as stock photo courtesy of Palantir)

The Marine Corps has formally established an AI and command-and-control modernization initiative known as Project Dynamis and set up a leadership structure to oversee it, the service announced Tuesday.

Although Project Dynamis — which will focus on the Corps’ contribution to the U.S. military’s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC) warfighting construct — isn’t completely new, it got a boost in status earlier this month by the assistant commandant.

The initiative was formalized in a memo signed Sept. 10 by Gen. Christopher Mahoney, who was confirmed by the Senate last week as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Col. Arlon Smith was tapped to direct the project, which will be overseen by a council that includes the deputy commandant for combat development and integration and the deputy commandant for information. The council was given 30 days to develop a charter for governance, organization, authorities and responsibilities, according to the Corps.

The Pentagon’s CJADC2 concept aims to better connect the sensors, shooters and data streams of the U.S. military services, allies and partners under a more unified network for better and faster decision-making. Artificial intelligence capabilities are seen as a key enabler of that future warfighting construct.

“To outpace the threat, we realized we needed a dedicated cross-functional team laser focused on prioritizing and accelerating the deployment of advanced technologies to enable AI-powered decision advantage at the tactical edge. That’s what Project Dynamis does in partnership with the Navy’s Project Overmatch,” Lt. Gen. Jerry Carter, deputy commandant for information, said in a statement.

Project Overmatch is a Navy effort to enhance the sea service’s contribution to CJADC2. Under the new directive from Mahoney, officials are expected to designate a deputy direct report program manager from the Marine Corps for Overmatch.

Notably, the Project Dynamis cross-functional team has been tasked with speeding the delivery of a “fully operational” Maven Smart System capability. The Corps recently released new guidance on the rollout of the technology earlier this month, after announcing a new contract with Palantir for an enterprise license for the company’s MSS tool.

In a statement Tuesday, Smith noted the need for Marines to be able to “aggregate, orchestrate, analyze, and share fused data at machine speeds,” calling it a “warfighting imperative.”