(Pentagon graphic by Breaking Defense; computer code image by Sabrina Gelbart via Pexels)
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is requesting its largest ever budget for research and development, with heavy investments in artificial intelligence and technology in its fiscal 2023 budget request.
The Defense Department’s $773 billion FY23 budget request includes $130.1 billion in research, development, test and evaluation funding, representing a 9.5% increase over FY22 levels, according to budget briefing slides. Michael McCord, under secretary of defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer, told Breaking Defense today DoD is “still arm wrestling the database” about the exact amount of requested funding for AI in FY23.
The Pentagon has several AI efforts underway, including the AI and Data Acceleration initiative, announced last year by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. The effort aims to improve tactical AI at the military’s combatant commands.
Operational data and AI flyaway teams of technical experts are being sent to the military’s 11 COCOMs under the effort to help them better understand their data and create AI tools to streamline decision-making. DoD wants to use the information gathered from the teams to update things like network infrastructure.
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Another effort, the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve, is aimed at addressing capability gaps and emerging technologies. Through RDER, DoD is focusing on contested logistics, all domain command and control and long-range fires.
The effort is being spearheaded by Heidi Shyu, under secretary for research and engineering, who earlier this month revealed the Pentagon is already planning for FY24 rapid experimentation “sprints.” Shyu plans on doing two RDER demonstrations per year.
The FY23 budget request also establishes the new Office of the Chief Digital and AI Officer, a central hub dedicated to overseeing DoD’s data and AI efforts, according to briefing slides. (The creation of the CDAO office was first reported by Breaking Defense last November.)
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The office pulls together “a group of disparate efforts,” merging the Joint AI Center, Defense Digital Service and the Office of the Chief Data Officer, which will all report directly up to the CDAO, McCord told reporters today.
Although defense officials did not lay out specific funding requested for the office, which will be responsible for scaling up data, analytics and AI, a senior defense official told reporters Feb. 2 the office will get a $500 million budget.
