UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
Lauren
Knausenberger | USAF
Digitally enabled airmen The emergence of digital warfare isn ’ t new , but the definition is morphing from a vision of bespectacled keyboard warriors towards “ digitally enabled airmen and guardians ” through “ global ubiquitous connectivity – having things in the cloud , able to move between different levels of classification seamlessly , having meaningful data coming from sensors all over the world , AI for machine-driven insights . At any point in time , airmen and guardians can see their entire operating picture anywhere in the world and move assets , physical or digital , to meet the mission need .”
Knausenberger has three ingredients in her recipe for achieving this : digital modernisation , all domain command and control , and AI ( specifically automated valuation models , or AVMs ). “ The rest of it just comes down to use case and tying the technology together to achieve a mission , even on the fly .”
She is adamant that the path to this digital nirvana is not paved with old methods overlaid with new technologies . Nor old attitudes . For inspiration , the US Air Force is looking to adopt the agile workflow and disruptive mindset of Silicon Valley start-up culture .
Enter Nic Chaillan , the US Air Force ’ s Chief Software Officer , whose resume is a catalogue of entrepreneurial spirit having founded 12 companies over a 20-year career ( he started his first aged 16 ). Sensing that he could “ make a difference ” in a world of terrorist attacks he joined the Department of Homeland Security in 2016 . Three years later , he heads up software , DevSecOps , cloud and cybersecurity for USAF . Illustrating the DoD ’ s historic attitude to software , the role did not previously exist .
32 May 2021