“We put out our second draft on Friday; the deadline for feedback is Oct. 25, so you have about a week and a half left,” software acquisition chief Jennifer Swanson told contractors at AUSA. “Please, please give us feedback.”
“I can train algorithms literally overnight,” said Young Bang, the No. 2 civilian in Army acquisition — so even the streamlined Software Acquisition Pathway might not be fast enough.
The jet-powered transport’s speed, survivability and multi-mission agility position it as a viable option to the C-130 for the US and NATO allies.
The service previously announced another initiative, dubbed #DefendAI, all of which are shaping its year-long dive into the cutting-edge tech.
The branch intends to use AI to improve the operation of sensors, ground vehicles and aviation as well as training capabilities. It is also interested in counter-AI and attack AI solutions.
The Army presented a conceptual security plan that involves layers of security for AI use, but wants help ironing out the details.
Instead of demanding an exhaustive “AI Bill of Materials.” the Army will only ask contractors for a “baseball card” of key stats on their AI — while building up its in-house capacity to check for bad code or “poisoned” data.
With potential adversaries no longer predictable, training must move beyond just live exercises and flight simulators.
Young Bang, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said the effectiveness of high- and low-tech fighting was "pushing into our guiding principles."
“This one, we’re still continuously talking to industry about and we want feedback because…we’re going down this path for the same reasons,” Young Bang said about AI BOMs. “We want to reduce our attack surface from an algorithmic standpoint.”
Today, just nine of the Army’s 540 acquisition programs use the streamlined Software Pathway, but senior officials told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview they aim to "exponentially" increase that number by the end of next year.