Col Arlon Smith
Director, Project DynamisColonel Smith currently serves as the Director of Project Dynamis. He was commissioned in December 2001 as an intelligence officer.
From 2004 to 2006, he served as the Intelligence Officer for Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 and Marine Aircraft Group 26, deploying twice in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.
From 2007 to 2009, he served as the Intelligence Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 13 where he spent one year as the intelligence advisor for the 7th Iraqi Army Division in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
From 2009 to 2012, he served as the Marine Corps Training and Advisory Group’s Intelligence Officer, serving as the Operations Officer for the Republic of Georgia Training Team and leading pre-deployment training for the 33rd Georgian Infantry Battalion in Tbilisi, Georgia.
From 2013 to 2014, he served as the Operations Officer for 2nd Intelligence Battalion.
From 2014 to 2016, he served as the Intelligence Officer for the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, deploying in support of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Africa and a MEU deployment aboard the KEARSARGE Amphibious Ready Group.
From 2016 to 2019, he was detailed to the Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters, serving as a Deputy Group Chief and Senior Marine Service Representative to the Director of the CIA.
From 2019 to 2021, he served as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion.
From 2021 to 2024, he completed the Secretary of Defense Strategic Thinkers Program and served as the Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
From July 2024 to August 2025, he served as the Director of the Intelligence Division, Capabilities Development Directorate for the Deputy Commandant, Combat Development and Integration.
Colonel Smith is a graduate of the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College graduate. Additionally, he holds multiple advanced degrees, including a Master of Science in Business Administration from Boston University, a Master of Arts in Military Studies from Marine Corps University, and a Master of International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC.
Project Dynamis: Accelerating AI-Powered Decision Advantage
Through Project Dynamis, the Marine Corps is leveraging Fleet Marine Force “sand box” hubs to accelerate experimenting, protortyping, and fielding adv…Through Project Dynamis, the Marine Corps is leveraging Fleet Marine Force “sand box” hubs to accelerate experimenting, protortyping, and fielding advanced CJADC2 capabilities. Project Dynamis has a core team based in Quantico, but collaborates with…Through Project Dynamis, the Marine Corps is leveraging Fleet Marine Force “sand box” hubs to accelerate experimenting, protortyping, and fielding advanced CJADC2 capabilities. Project Dynamis has a core team based in Quantico, but collaborates with industry partners, the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, and the Naval Research and Development establishment. The Project Dynamis Director, Col. Arlon Sm…Through Project Dynamis, the Marine Corps is leveraging Fleet Marine Force “sand box” hubs to accelerate experimenting, protortyping, and fielding advanced CJADC2 capabilities. Project Dynamis has a core team based in Quantico, but collaborates with industry partners, the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, and the Naval Research and Development establishment. The Project Dynamis Director, Col. Arlon Smith, joings Scuttlebutt to talk about how Dynamis is using a strategy of iterative experiments to realize the Dynamis vision. Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More
