Establishment of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer - Advana
Abstract
On December 8, 2021, the DSD issued a memo establishing the CDAO as the Department’s senior official responsible for strengthening and integrating data, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions in the Department. The memorandum establishes the CDAO as the “successor organization to the JAIC”. The CDAO reached IOC on February 1, 2022 and will integrate the JAIC, the DDS, the OCDO, and Advana as it approaches FOC on June 1, 2022. The integration of the JAIC, OCDO, DDS, and Advana into the CDAO more comprehensively restructures how the Department approaches the complex and dynamic challenges of becoming a digital, data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled enterprise capable of operating at the speed and scale necessary to accelerate the Department’s adoption of data, analytics, and AI to generate decision advantage. The functions of the CDAO are as follows: lead and oversee DoD’s strategy development and policy formulation for data, analytics, and AI; break down barriers to data and AI adoption within DoD institutional processes; create enabling digital infrastructure and services that support Components’ development and deployment of data, analytics, AI, and digital-enabled solutions; selectively scale proven digital and AI-enabled solutions focused on enterprise and joint use cases; and surge digital services for rapid response to crises and emergent challenges. This also requires CDAO to integrate the capabilities, personnel, resources, and governance of its constituent organizations, while concurrently sustaining momentum on priority projects that align to CDAO’s mission. These include expanding the enterprise data repository; establishing a responsible AI ecosystem; executing the ADA initiative; and developing a Data, Analytics, and AI Adoption Strategy. These various lines of effort will support the overarching mission of accelerating the Department’s adoption of data, analytics, and AI to preserve decision advantage across the Joint Force. This request provides funding for Advana to fulfill the Creating Data Advantage memo signed by the DSD (5 May 2021) to be the single authoritative source for enterprise data management and analytics for the Department’s senior leaders. The ensuing growth in users, data, and analytic output requires additional funding to operate and sustain Advana to provide decision advantage. Since November 2021, the Advana Incident Response Decision Support Cell team, in partnership with the Joint Staff, EUCOM, TRANSCOM, Services, Defense Manpower Data Center, and others have been establishing the foundation of a data driven Incident Response Capability. This tool suite enables Senior Leaders near real time awareness of the entire deployment process (planning stage through execution to closure) for people, equipment, and supplies within a specific Area of Responsibility. The crisis in Ukraine created a critical, time-sensitive demand for further rapid data aggregation and ongoing development support to inform senior leader decision-making on deployment of personnel and equipment, including Non-Combatant Evacuation, COVID-19 protection measures, and humanitarian aid, among other potential problem sets. Additional service support resources are needed to sustain 24/7 operating demands required for future incidents, as well as sustaining globally distributed staff embedded within several Combatant Commands. This work also results in additional infrastructure, license, and labor costs. Advana must also expand to environments such as (Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System) to support data needs and operations at higher classification levels. The benefit of having preplanned, established frameworks and mechanisms for data interoperability between DoD components and other agencies can increase speed to insight and relevance for critical information necessary for time constrained decision support.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2023
- Source ID
- b0abc54da48a663c5dba0533497d29f4