CJADC2 Deployment Confirmed, Details Classified
CJADC2 has been deployed, said Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on Wednesday.
“Last summer I had challenged the [Department of Defense] CTO, and his mission partners, to deliver a minimum viable capability for CJADC2 by the end of 2023; for security reasons, I can't say where or what that capability is,” said Hicks at an event in Washington D.C.; she added the process to achieve this was arduous and offered no further details.
CJADC2 is the combined joint all-domain command and control, an artificial intelligence (AI) data sharing solution to increase battlefield awareness for military operations.
Speaking to an audience of AI business people and warfighters, Hicks stressed that in order to continue innovation and technology adoption in the Department of Defense (DoD), budget investments must be updated.
“Our practices date back to the 1960s when defense dollars were the main driver of American innovation and the private sector less so. The script slipped long ago with commercial tech companies now doing the lion's share of innovation, especially with data digital analytics and AI,” Hicks told the audience, adding that the Pentagon did not keep up with the way the private sector innovates.
Still, current conditions place the U.S. at an advantage vis-à-vis China and other adversaries.
“We have better chips, better talent, better tech and better values that guide how we use data and AI; and we intend to stay in the lead,” Hicks said.
Our practices date back to the 1960s when defense dollars were the main driver of American innovation and the private sector less so.
Part of Hicks' attention was centered on the people creating and ensuring the technology edge.
“Our advantage comes from who we have building [technologies], who we have using them and how we do so, and in these arenas, America will always be unbeatable,” Hicks said.
Nevertheless, the future will be bright as long as the department and industry stay at pace with the future, regardless of specifics.
“Technology will keep changing, today's good habits and best practices will one day be outdated and entrenched, and our global competitors will also continue to advance their capabilities,” Hicks explained. For these reasons, the deputy secretary underscored the need to continue evolving and not settling after achieving short term goals.
Hicks spoke at the Advantage DoD 2024: Defense Data & AI Symposium, hosted by the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, the first event of its kind since the creation of this defense agency two years ago.
