Developing explainable AI to advance U.S. Navy mission planning (SERCO INC) — a federal contract (USAspending)
A federal contract in which the U.S. Navy tasked SERCO INC with developing an advanced AI capability that dramatically improves mission planning. Its distinguishing feature is giving reasoning and explainability to other (wargaming) AI.
Contract key facts
- RecipientSERCO INC
- Contract value$2,000,026 (≈$2M)
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
- Awarding sub-agencyDepartment of the Navy
- Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
- Period of performance2021-11-30 〜 2024-03-26
- Contract ID (PIID)N0001422C2010
Contract scope (original)
UNDER THIS EFFORT THE CONTRACTOR WILL DEVELOP A SYSTEM TO PROVIDE THE NAVY WITH AN ADVANCED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) CAPABILITY THAT DRAMATICALLY IMPROVES THE MISSION PLANNING PROCESS BY PROVIDING REASONING AND EXPLAIN ABILITY OF OTHER AI WARGAMI
Key points
- A definitive federal contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Navy to SERCO INC (PIID: N0001422C2010).
- Its purpose is to develop an advanced AI capability that dramatically improves the Navy's mission planning process.
- Its distinguishing feature is providing reasoning and explainability for the judgments of other wargaming AI, so people can understand the basis for conclusions.
- Valued at about $2 million ($2,000,026), with a period of performance from November 30, 2021 to March 26, 2024.
- A concrete example of explainable AI applied to decision support, though specific outcomes are not stated in the source data.
In a defense context, "mission planning" refers to the process of constructing, evaluating, and acting on operational options under limited time and information. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly been brought into this process to weigh vast numbers of scenarios quickly. This contract develops an advanced AI capability intended to dramatically improve that planning process itself, signaling that the Navy is investing in foundational technology to support complex decisions.
The heart of the effort is explainability. When an AI presents only a conclusion, people cannot see why it reached that judgment, making it hard to trust and rely on. The AI in this contract is aimed at providing the underlying reasoning for the judgments of other AI used in wargaming (exercises that simulate combat), so the reasons behind a conclusion can be explained. In effect, it places a layer between people and AI that conveys "why it concluded as it did," a concrete example of explainable AI applied to decision support.
Viewed more broadly, this contract is also a case study in how federal procurement data (USAspending) lets the public track which companies a defense agency engages, for what advanced technology, at what cost, and over what period. The transparency and trustworthiness of AI is a challenge well beyond defense — in healthcare, public administration, finance, and more — so the use of public funds for research into AI that people can understand offers a useful window into where technology and policy meet. Details of specific outcomes or deliverables are not stated in the source data.
Why it matters
This contract illustrates how defense agencies are bringing explainable AI into decision support, making it a useful reference for firms working on AI transparency and trust, and for practitioners tracking how advanced technology is procured through federal contracts. Details of specific outcomes or deliverables are not stated in the source data.
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Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID)：N0001422C2010