White Paper:  Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Military Applications 

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has undertaken a deliberate and considered approach to incorporating AI and machine learning technology. While the DoD and other US entities have utilized AI on an ad-hoc basis over the past 60 years, 2018 began a shift towards more formalized processes with the release of the “2018 DoD Artificial Intelligence Strategy.” Then in 2020, the DoD Data Strategy further built on the foundational 2018 strategy by envisioning the Department as a data-centric organization that can employ data-supporting, advanced capabilities for operational advantage and increased efficiency, and oriented enterprise data management activities toward the VAULTIS goal framework. In 2022, the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), Defense Digital Services (DDS), the Office of Advancing Analytics, and the Chief Data Officer were merged into the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO). And most recently, in late 2023 the DoD released the “2023 Data, Analytics, and AI Adoption Strategy.” The new strategy document focuses on how to accelerate the adoption of data, analytics, and AI in a manner that is repeatable across all individual DoD components.