Members of the 56th Aerospace Communications Squadron operate cyber systems during Global Information Dominance Experiment 3 and Architect Demonstration Evaluation 5 at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Michigan, July 12, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Technical Sgt. Amy Picard)
As part of a never-ending effort to more quickly adapt to the ever-changing technological landscape, the Department of Defense established the Defense Innovation Board in 2016. Since then, the pace of technological evolution has only accelerated and new reports have been released. [PDF] Current board members explain why building a ‘data economy’ is important today. In this editorial, Board member Ryan Swan shares some of his near-term insights on how the Department of Defense can adapt to the times.
It’s just a fact that data is king in today’s world. Everything we do and trust depends on our core ability to access, understand, leverage, and take decisive action on data. For the Department of Defense, this is a national security issue.
The Department of Defense recognizes the data problem and recognizes that it can create data/AI opportunities by taking strategic and tactical actions in new and innovative ways.
This is not an unusual situation for most large, established organizations. It wasn’t that long ago that data and IT issues were handled by people far removed from the C-suite and with little background understanding. There was no chief data officer and no CEO had this in their risk mitigation plans. Looking at today’s threat environment, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics can not only mean the difference between profit and loss, but also provide advantages that can potentially win wars.
This is not a new challenge for the Department of Defense. Efforts to address this issue date back decades and span multiple administrations. But we need to act now.
The Defense Innovation Board has just completed and submitted an initial study on what the Department of Defense needs to do to address this issue. Although this report is not intended to be an exhaustive study, it clearly and concisely outlines some actions the Department of Defense could take in the short term.
First, leadership is the key to any change. The report states that by ensuring the Department of Defense’s Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO) has the right posture, consistent resources, physical presence, and has clear and measurable objectives, recommends empowering the Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO) to achieve meaningful change in the Department of Defense’s data economy. And the goal. This starts with making the CDAO a permanent member of the Department of Defense to advocate for continued change within Defense Department leadership and the Hill. Additionally, CDAOs must be adequately funded, staffed, and given clear, up-to-date roles and responsibilities.
This leadership challenge must be pushed down to the services and warfighter commands, each with a full-time, dedicated chief data officer and no other duties. This is not considered a nice-to-have, but rather a requirement to ensure that warfighters have the tools they need to act effectively in combat.
One of the more interesting and potentially impactful recommendations is to develop a better data workforce within the military and provide real career paths for data professionals in the service sector. The creation of the “Data Officer” Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). This action can have significant short- and long-term consequences for combat forces.
If young people entering the workforce find opportunities to advance in the military in fields that not only dominate this generation but also have clear post-military career paths, the Department of Defense has the potential to attract and retain a talent pool. much higher. need.
In honor of some of the innovative tools used in the private sector, the Department of Defense is creating an environment where DoD civilians and military personnel can bring their innovative talents to bear without fear of security violations or harm to their careers. should be constructed. The Department of Defense should support further opportunities to demonstrate the value of data through innovation and competition (such as hackathons) while providing general access to developer tools (such as Python) and low-code or no-code tools. there is. Data onboarding and literacy programs for new and current military, civilians, and contractors are needed to improve data understanding and practices. These measures are normal in the private sector and should be adopted by the Department of Defense.
While most of the data challenges facing the department are people-related, technology is also key. As the department works to integrate AI into its capabilities, agreed standards are needed to access, integrate and leverage disparate data sources without moving data to a central platform. Is required. This is a key tenant of the data-as-product strategy and is critical to interoperability. Additionally, creating a space where data engineers can conduct research without creating security issues can help grow a culture of innovation and drive the entire organization toward a culture of innovation.
Taken together, these and other actions recommended in the report will catalyze the creation of a robust data economy at the Department of Defense that will not only protect what we have, but also protect our future. It will enable future capabilities for the warfighter.
I know this is difficult, but if it were easy, it would have been done by now. But our data practices are outdated and artificial intelligence is accelerating, so we must act now to ensure our military remains competitive in an AI-powered world.
Ryan Swann is a member of the Defense Innovation Board, Chief Data Analytics Officer at Vanguard Group, and a board member at Forward Edge AI. The views expressed in this article are his personal opinions.