Keeping troops supplied during large-scale combat operations has always been one of the military’s toughest challenges. In modern conflicts—where adversaries actively target supply lines, deny routes, and disrupt communications—it’s becoming even harder.
Now Gallatin AI is betting that artificial intelligence can change the equation.
The defense-tech startup announced it has secured a contract through the Army Applications Laboratory under the PORTAL (Predict, Optimize, Recommend, and Track for Adaptive Logistics) Direct to Phase II SBIR program. The 18-month project will develop a prototype of the company’s Navigator logistics planning platform for use by U.S. Army units operating across multiple command levels.
The goal: enable sustainment planners to forecast supply needs, evaluate logistics options, and adapt plans faster than battlefield conditions change.
AI for the Logistics Fight
Military logistics has traditionally relied on spreadsheets, manual planning, and fragmented data systems. That approach becomes problematic in contested environments where conditions can shift rapidly.
Enemy interdiction, destroyed infrastructure, weather disruptions, and evolving mission objectives can all force supply plans to change with little warning.
Gallatin’s Navigator platform aims to automate much of that planning process using machine learning and advanced optimization algorithms.
Instead of manually recalculating supply routes and convoy loads, planners can generate multiple optimized courses of action almost instantly.
The system analyzes factors such as:
- Mission profiles and operational tempo
- Terrain and route availability
- Asset and personnel availability
- Enemy activity and environmental conditions
The result is a set of constraint-validated logistics plans designed to keep supply operations running even when conditions deteriorate.
Predicting Shortfalls Before They Happen
One of Navigator’s core capabilities is predictive demand forecasting.
Machine learning models analyze historical logistics data alongside real-time operational inputs to estimate how quickly units will consume critical supplies such as fuel, ammunition, and equipment.
If projected demand exceeds available resources, the platform alerts planners early—allowing them to adjust resupply operations before shortages occur.
This predictive approach is intended to reduce the reactive firefighting that often characterizes military logistics operations.
Instead of responding to supply failures after they occur, planners can proactively manage potential gaps.
Generating Optimized Courses of Action
Beyond forecasting, Navigator is designed to recommend operational decisions.
Using optimization algorithms, the platform generates potential logistics plans that account for both operational constraints and battlefield conditions.
These recommendations may include:
- Convoy routing strategies
- Load sequencing for supply vehicles
- Allocation of limited transport assets
- Alternative resupply approaches
Planners can rapidly compare options and choose the strategy best suited to the mission.
According to Woody Glier, this capability could significantly reduce the time required to produce viable logistics plans.
In many Army sustainment operations today, staff officers spend hours assembling convoy load plans that may become obsolete the moment battlefield conditions change.
Navigator aims to compress that process into seconds.
Real-Time Logistics Visibility
The third pillar of the platform is tracking.
Navigator aggregates data from multiple sources to produce a unified view of logistics operations. This includes information on inventory levels, personnel status, and equipment readiness.
The system then presents this data in a user-centric operational dashboard designed to help commanders and planners maintain situational awareness.
That common operating picture allows different units to synchronize their efforts while ensuring leadership has accurate information about supply chain status.
Built for Contested Environments
Modern military logistics must operate under increasingly hostile conditions.
Adversaries are investing heavily in capabilities designed to disrupt supply chains—ranging from cyberattacks to kinetic strikes against infrastructure and transport assets.
Navigator includes an adversary-aware simulation engine that allows planners to stress-test logistics plans against these threats.
The system can model how supply operations would hold up if key routes were denied or supply points were targeted.
This enables planners to build more resilient strategies before an operation begins.
Importantly, the platform is also designed to operate in degraded communications environments, ensuring that planning capabilities remain available even when network connectivity is limited.
Integration With Existing Defense Systems
Gallatin says Navigator is designed to integrate with existing Army data systems rather than replace them.
The platform already runs within the Maven Smart System, the AI infrastructure used by the U.S. Department of Defense for advanced analytics and intelligence applications.
Through secure APIs, Navigator can ingest data from Army systems of record and other operational platforms.
This open architecture approach allows the software to work alongside legacy systems while incorporating emerging capabilities over time.
The SBIR Program and the PORTAL Initiative
The contract was awarded through the Army’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which funds emerging technologies from startups and small businesses.
Specifically, the project falls under the PORTAL initiative, which focuses on improving military logistics planning through predictive analytics and automation.
PORTAL aligns with broader modernization goals set by the U.S. defense establishment, particularly in areas such as:
- Applied artificial intelligence
- Contested logistics technologies
- resilient supply chain infrastructure
Military planners increasingly view AI-driven logistics as essential for future large-scale combat operations.
Venture Capital Meets Defense Innovation
Gallatin AI’s participation in the program also highlights a growing trend in defense technology: venture-backed startups developing capabilities before seeking government contracts.
Rather than relying solely on federal research funding, companies are increasingly using private capital to build initial products that can later be adapted for defense use.
Gallatin has raised funding from defense-focused investors including 8VC, Silent Ventures, and Moonshots Capital.
The company also holds awardable status on the CDAO Tradewinds Marketplace, the procurement platform run by the Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office.
This hybrid funding model allows startups to move faster than traditional defense procurement cycles while delivering more mature technology to government customers.
What Comes Next
Over the next 18 months, Gallatin will work with operational Army units to validate Navigator’s capabilities.
The project will involve benchmarking performance, refining algorithms, and incorporating feedback from logistics subject-matter experts.
If successful, the platform could eventually transition into broader deployment across Army logistics operations.
For military planners facing increasingly complex battlefield environments, tools that can predict supply needs and adapt logistics plans in real time could prove critical.
In the future of warfare, keeping forces supplied may depend as much on artificial intelligence as on trucks and supply depots.
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