Defense AI goes operational

The Pentagon and its contractors are starting to buy and field artificial intelligence as working systems, not just lab demos. (breakingdefense.com) In less than five weeks, Defense Department personnel built more than 103,000 artificial intelligence agents on GenAI.mil and logged more than 1.1 million sessions, according to a Pentagon official cited by Breaking Defense on April 23. The tools run on unclassified networks at Impact Level 5 and are being used for tasks like drafting after-action reports, analyzing imagery and reviewing financial data. (breakingdefense.com) The Department of the Air Force also released new artificial intelligence and data strategies on April 23 that frame data and AI as core mission capabilities. The documents call for an “AI-first force,” with priorities that include enterprise infrastructure, workforce training, governance and faster adoption. (executivegov.com) A military artificial intelligence agent is software that can take instructions and carry out steps on its own, more like a junior staff aide than a chatbot. The Pentagon example here is not a single weapons program but a broad office toolset for millions of military and civilian users on everyday networks. (breakingdefense.com) The procurement side is moving too. Reuters reported on April 23 that Leidos won a $617 million U.S. Army contract for additional launchers for the Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 air-defense system, bringing its Army orders for the program to nearly $1.2 billion and more than 100 launchers committed for delivery. (usnews.com) On the naval side, Shield AI said April 23 that it was selected for a U.S. Navy contractor-owned, contractor-operated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance program worth up to $800 million in task orders. The company plans to use its V-BAT uncrewed aircraft, a vertical takeoff drone with more than 12 hours of endurance that can launch and recover from ship decks. (navaltoday.com) Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance means collecting pictures, signals and other battlefield information fast enough for commanders to act on it. In this case, contractors are pairing aircraft, sensors and software into managed services the Navy can order as needed instead of building everything inside government first. (navaltoday.com) The near-term pattern is that defense agencies are standardizing platforms, issuing strategy documents and awarding production contracts in the same week. That combination points to artificial intelligence being folded into routine procurement, staff work and operational surveillance at the same time. (executivegov.com) (breakingdefense.com) (usnews.com) (navaltoday.com)