David Spirk Jr., chief data officer of the Special Operations Command, said at a National Defense Industrial Association-hosted conference that the command is developing a strategy for emerging technology initiatives, National Defense Magazine reported Friday. Spirk said the strategy will help SOCOM plan its allocations for artificial intelligence and machine learning efforts for fiscal years 2022 to 2026.
Applications covered by the blueprint include cyber protection, contract and budget management, training, planning and maneuver, predictive maintenance, logistics and forecasting. Spirk also mentioned that SOCOM will also establish a digital data mission management team and enlist the help of experts for program management and other technical matters.
“Data-driven technologies can be used in every function that we have,†he told National Defense. “We hope to demonstrate the capability and then allow that to just grow in the services where, naturally, it should.†Components under the special operations forces will meet in September to work on the new strategy before calling on industry and academic entities for input, Spirk noted.
