Chapter All-Star Event Goes Virtual

"Disruptors are essential for our Air Force bureaucracy to see where opalescence chokes the innovation spirit... to enable us to fly, fight and win in air and cyber space," stated Lt. Gen. Chris Weggeman, USAF, deputy commander, Air Combat Command, during the chapter's virtual ACE conference. This year's theme of Achieving Information Superiority - Enabling Decisive Action Across All Domains rang through the sessions and briefings as speakers engaged with attendees on data; who has it, how to protect it, and how to interpret it. Lt. Gen. Mary O'Brien, USAF, deputy chief of staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations, Headquarters United States Air Force, asked, "Is information superiority achievable, and if so, what are the means to achieve it?" Gen. O'Brien explained that the U.S. Defense Department and the United States must change to meet the threat of great power competition. Over the last twenty years, the United States has profited from being a major power in technology, but that is no longer the situation. "Information Superiority and Information Warfare is a critical part of that change." When looking at changing the battlespace through convergence, you take into account all of the pieces involved. "Access to data is not confined within geographic boundaries, but on a global scale, allowing us the authority to converge on a problem set," said Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, USAF, commander, 16th Air Force. Gen. John Murray, USA, commanding general, Army Futures Command, explained how integrating technologies will enhance not just the Army but the entire U.S. Joint Forces. Digital modernization is coming through in the means of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and robotics. There will need to be data structures in place that can support robotics. "Unlocking the power of AI across the broader DoD enterprise to make it to scale and to meet the mission of protect the people, continue the mission, and support whole of government activities," noted John Sherman, principal deputy, Senior Executive Service (SES), Department of Defense chief information officer.

How do we incorporate AI and ML to expose and share that data? Having a data strategy and the analytics to respond to threats is what is needed to move forward in approaches to generate outcomes at speed and scale. Brig. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, USAF, director of intelligence, U.S. Space Command, gave a high-level snapshot on how China plans to deliver information warfare in times of competition, war and peace. "What is important is how we cease or protect those vulnerabilities." Information superiority must be maintained against increasing sophisticated foes in the cyber domain. Vice Adm. Nancy Norton, USN, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and the commander of the Joint Force Headquarters Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN), explained how the pandemic strengthened the need for a better network and allowed for a shift to a data-centric model that will support the National Defense Strategy with an increased focus on cybersecurity and leveraging automation. "Every day we hone our nation's digital edge to achieve our operational imperatives in the contested and interconnected power space."

Event Photographs: