A new US Air Force experiment has tested how artificial intelligence could help shorten the time needed for personnel to assess and respond to battlefield developments.
The latest two-week Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming (DASH) brought together air force and space force personnel with industry developers to evaluate AI-enabled command-and-control (C2) tools.
The experiment also explored ways to accelerate the development and integration of new C2 capabilities.
AI Tackles Battlefield Data
AI systems sorted and analyzed large volumes of battlefield information, allowing human operators to concentrate on evaluating options and selecting courses of action.
The experiment found that airmen and guardians face comparable demands when managing complex information despite operating across different domains.
Realistic scenarios placed the teams under time pressure and rapidly changing battlefield conditions.
Faster Path to the Field
The Air Force Research Laboratory also tested a government-owned software “orchestrator” that brought multiple industry applications into a common, flexible environment.
The setup allowed operators and developers to test different technologies and exchange immediate feedback. It also enabled competing systems to be integrated without tying the air force to a single vendor.
Tools that performed well during the experiments will move more quickly from development into secure operational networks.
“The future of battle management isn’t just about accelerating our reaction time; it’s about fundamentally changing how we make decisions,” said US Air Force Col. John Ohlund, director of the Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team.
