Artificial intelligence (AI) has had a profound impact on how the U.S. military approaches warfare. Through machine learning (ML), AI has been leveraged to train machines, working to reduce the number of fatigue-susceptible physical bodies needed to maintain defenses. But what does the DoD need, in terms of hardware, software and people, to ensure effective implementation and execution of key AI/ML strategies — and how does it ensure it has these necessary resources as adversaries rush to develop their own AI/ML capabilities?

This session will explore these questions as well as how the DoD’s existing and future approach to AI/ML strategies is shaping its role on the battlefield. Topics will include the role of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), as well as Project Maven, the Pentagon’s signature AI program — where does it go next, and how does it become a warfighting tool?

The joint all-domain command and control system (JADC2) is the DoD’s much-heralded solution for military branch interconnectivity and multidomain operations — but what is it really? Have the branches been connecting and collaborating to get JADC2 off the ground, and to what degree? Where does JADC2 currently stand? Moreover, given its nature, how will we know when — and where — it will begin?  

This discussion will explore the state of multidomain operations and do some “mythbusting” of JADC2: examining how expectations are aligning with reality, understanding the milestones already reached and the ones still to come, and when they can be expected.

As U.S. military forces reckon with modernization initiatives to respond to threats from competitors in the Pacific and in Europe, they are focused on critical needs in a future network: high speed, high capacity, multi-path capability and ubiquity to the user. The U.S. Army’s network upgrade initiatives aim to bring the Pentagon’s vision of connecting sensors to shooters across the force into reality. But how will the next gen network move with the people who need it? And how does the U.S. ensure that a portable network is reliable, secure and dependable – while also balancing the Pacific with Europe in considering infrastructure needs and priorities? 

This panel discussion will discuss the next gen network that the U.S. military aims to achieve and answer questions about portability, reliability, security, dependability and effectiveness.

The U.S. military’s communications network allows for an overwhelming information advantage through tactical communications, GPS and radar, but adversaries such as Russia and China are catching up. In the realm of cyber and EW, ensuring the United States military has the personnel, equipment and training infrastructures in place to defeat adversarial forces is key. 

How is the U.S. fortifying its offense in the face of looming cyber and electronic threats? And why have Russia’s vaunted cyberwarfare capabilities not played a large role in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine?

This  panel discussion will discuss how the U.S. has prepared for this evolution as well as explore the status of the Zero Trust initiative and how it is working to limit the attack surface.

The U.S. is rethinking its national security space architecture, creating a Space Force in addition to bringing back the U.S. Space Command. Acquisition leaders are planning the next generation of capabilities, including new and emerging launch technology to strengthen capabilities and space mobility. Hypersonic weapons are also a critical concern — their ability to maneuver on the way to their targets poses new challenges, and protecting the U.S. from these threats has been identified as a critical priority by top defense leaders. 

What will the next generation of space and hypersonic capabilities look like? How is the Space Force responding to growing demand and stress not only on its ranges, but on launch capability and capacity as well? This discussion will examine these questions as well as the ways space architecture can enable warfighters to succeed.

The U.S. Army recently announced a strategy focused on software, data and artificial intelligence practices, which officials view as a critical step toward transformation into a high-tech, digital-forward force. Program managers are seeking to better enable leaders in the battlefield to make strong, quick, data-driven decisions. Software and IT are critical building blocks to a strong national defense, so what are military CIOs doing from a broad fighting perspective? In today’s warfighting landscape, how has the cloud evolved into a weapon system?

This discussion will explore the role of software and IT in the battlefield today, as well as Air Force Cloud One and the roles played by both the private sector and government.

Threats from unmanned aircraft systems are growing rampant from military adversaries and create the need for counterdrone systems. Counterdrone work is happening for U.S. forces, though much of it is still in development or prototyping. 

What’s the reality of where that work stands? What role does AI play — how much of counterdrone capability is autonomous, particularly as we see manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) becoming increasingly important to military success? When can we expect decisions on systems to adopt?

This discussion will examine the state of drones and counterdrones, and how unmanned and autonomy solutions may redefine military operational capabilities. It will also explore the extent of work that has been done so far in this area, and what the future may hold for these types of technology.