The Marine Corps has formally launched Project Dynamis to speed modernization of its contributions to Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, aligning the service with the Navy’s Project Overmatch and the Corps’ Force Design priorities. Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Christopher J. Mahoney signed the establishing memorandum on Sept. 10.
Project Dynamis is intended to field end-to-end, joint-interoperable capabilities that let Marines operate as the forward element of the Joint Force—collecting, processing, and passing weapons-quality data at speed and scale. The initiative places emphasis on AI-enabled decision support at the tactical edge and tighter naval integration with the Department of the Navy’s networked kill-chain effort, Project Overmatch.
Governance will rest with a three-star council composed of the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration and the Deputy Commandant for Information. The council has 30 days to present an initial plan and a charter defining governance, organization, authorities, and responsibilities. It has also been tasked to coordinate with the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition to designate a Marine Corps Deputy Direct Report Program Manager within Project Overmatch.
“The Marine Corps has been moving fast to modernize for the future,” said Lt. Gen. Jerry Carter, DC I. “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.”
Colonel Arlon Smith has been named director of Project Dynamis. “As Marines, our ability to aggregate, orchestrate, analyze, and share fused data at machine speeds is a warfighting imperative,” said Smith. “It is central to our value proposition. Project Dynamis is our bid for success to realize that vision.”
Although the effort was only just formalized, Project Dynamis has already supported an enterprise-level contract with Maven Smart System and helped field a Marine Air-Ground Task Force Command and Control Prototype to two operational units in September: the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment in Okinawa, Japan, and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Pendleton, California.
CJADC2 is the Pentagon’s push to connect sensors and shooters across services and domains, while Project Overmatch is the Navy’s contribution to that networked approach. Project Dynamis positions the Marine Corps to accelerate its role in that architecture as part of Force Design, which emphasizes distributed operations, maritime campaigning, and resilient command and control.
