ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Success on the future battlefield against a near-peer adversary lies with the young men and women serving today, the nation’s top general said.

Speaking at the new Army Software Factory in Austin, Texas, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said the coding and computer work being done there is closely tied to the military’s transformation and modernization efforts.

The Army is working to build more data science and data engineering expertise in the force by adding a short-term certification program to a pilot program underway now at a leading university.

The upcoming program will select a number of soldiers to do a six-month certification program in data science through Carnegie Mellon University, a “world leader in data science,” after which the soldiers will return to the force, said Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee, director of the Army Talent Management Task Force.

The Army is launching two new programs this fall as it builds its talent management efforts in the areas of artificial intelligence and data science, a senior commander said.

First up is a master’s degree program at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where the Army’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force is based, said Gen. Mike Murray, commander of Army Futures Command. 

The Army also is creating a yearlong program for young officers, NCOs and warrant officers, he said.

Warfighters are the big emphasis in the Defense Department’s recently released Digital Modernization Strategy, which focuses on innovation, optimization, cybersecurity and cultivating talent.

“In everything we are building, we are always challenging ourselves and asking, ‘Are we doing this in the most thoughtful way that is going to enable the warfighter to be successful?’ ” said Dana Deasy, the Defense Department’s chief information officer.

Despite perceived challenges, the Army can both recruit and retain talented people in information technology jobs, said Maj. Gen. Richard Staats, the 75th Innovation Command commanding general.

IT prospects want purpose, autonomy and the ability to become experts, Staats said during a panel discussion focused on how the Army can compete for talent in artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. 

The panel was part of the Army Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence Symposium and Exposition, hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army, in Detroit.

As the Army pushes ahead with new and different ways to recruit and grow the force, the service should capitalize on analytics, artificial intelligence and online tools to better reach prospective soldiers, according to a new report from the RAND Corp.

The report, “Leveraging Big Data Analytics to Improve Military Recruiting,” also found that recruiters want more-modern systems, including customized one-on-one messaging, to better do their jobs.

The Army’s top logistician says it is time to take both a holistic and tactical look at sustainment to start taking advantage of today’s technology while planning for the future.

Speaking at a one-day Hot Topic forum hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare, Lt. Gen. Aundre F. Piggee, deputy chief of staff for logistics, said the Army of 2028 and beyond will need new, smarter, and more agile, resilient and self-sufficient capabilities to serve combat forces.

It will be up to today’s junior leaders to lead the Army’s adaptation to information technology, and to ensure more rapid adaptability than our adversaries