To spur real defense innovation, empower CDAOs and bake tech into military career choices

Published on January 30, 2024



Ryan Swann, a member of the Defense Innovation Board and chief data officer at Vanguard, argues in this op-ed that the Pentagon should make bureaucratic changes, but also "create environments in which DoD civilians and service members can express their innovative talents."

In it’s never-ending push to more quickly adapt to an ever-changing technological landscape, the Pentagon in 2016 established the Defense Innovation Board. Since then the pace of technological evolution has only grown, and a new report [PDF] from the current board explains why today building a “data economy” is key. In this op-ed, board member Ryan Swann shares some of near-term insights into how the Pentagon can adapt to the times.

It is simply a fact that in today’s world, data is king. All our actions and reliance hinge on the core ability to access, comprehend, harness and take decisive action based on the data. For the Department of Defense this is a matter of national security.

The Pentagon is both aware of its data problems and recognizes that it can create data/AI opportunities by taking strategic and tactical actions in new and innovative ways.

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