AFGSC Chief Scientist and STRIKEWERX set up new way for Airmen to share, explore tech ideas
Air Force Global Strike Command Chief Scientist Dr. Donna Senft listens to discussions during the command’s first Consortium for Digital Innovation held Nov. 5, 2024, at the Cyber Innovation Center in Bossier City, Louisiana. The consortium will give Airmen opportunities for learning, sharing information, and contributing to new research. (U.S. Air Force Courtesy Photo by Sean Green, STRIKEWERX)
By Sean Green | Communications Director
BOSSIER CITY, La. — Air Force Global Strike Command Office of the Chief Scientist (AFGSC/ST) has established a new way for Airmen to learn about technology, share information with each other, and even get support for innovation projects.
This new opportunity, called the Consortium for Digital Innovation (CDI), will give Airmen opportunities for learning, sharing information, and contributing to new research.
“We are taking advantage of technology, such as artificial intelligence, for what it brings to the fight,” said Dr. Donna Senft, AFGSC chief scientist. “This is about transforming the command’s data and supporting Airmen in their endeavors to innovate new, relevant solutions that free up their time from repetitive tasks toward more critical duties.”
Airmen can become a member of the CDI at no personal expense by joining one of the technical focus cells. The cell options to choose from are data analytics, modeling and simulation, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning.
Participants who become members of this free opportunity receive the benefits of sharing information to further knowledge, generating ideas, and progressing innovative projects. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend symposiums, network with industry and academia, and pitch new research ideas for support from AFGSC/ST.
CDI is another effort by AFGSC/ST to modernize how data is used throughout the command. AFGSC/ST has been recognized as a leader within the U.S. Air Force in digital transformation, with the Common Risk Picture project cited as a leading data science platform for the Department of Defense.
The CDI will add to these efforts by giving leadership a venue to stay informed on emerging technologies and evaluate capabilities that support the warfighter.
“Like any journey, you start from where you are. As a command, we need to know what we are doing with data, what data we have, and what data we need,” said Doug Fullingim, AFGSC data and AI officer. “Once that is done, we will understand what is feasible and where we need more work to enable advanced analytics.”
STRIKEWERX at the Cyber Innovation Center (CIC), the innovation arm for AFGSC/ST, is providing support for CDI with organizational help, planning of symposiums, and setting up resources for idea sharing.
“We are thrilled to support this opportunity for discovering new research and ideas,” said Kevin Nolten, CIC president. “Airmen will have a new avenue to get the resources for researching potential solutions for their most pressing technology needs.”
The first CDI symposium was held Nov. 5 at the CIC in Bossier City, Louisiana. The topic was forward thinking use of AI to maintain superiority over near-peer-adversaries.