Cameron Stanley, who was sworn in as the Army’s chief digital and artificial intelligence officer on Monday, is urging industry partners to be more proactive as the Pentagon moves to the next phase of its artificial intelligence strategy.
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In a video recorded for Executive Mosaic at the 4×24 Leadership Program dinner held earlier this week, Stanley emphasized that as AI adoption accelerates across the defense mission, the department is not only looking for innovative ideas, but also new ways to quickly implement and deliver technology.
Stanley’s remarks come as the Department of Defense rolls out its latest AI strategy and follows a recent speech by Secretary of the Army and Wash 100 Award recipient Pete Hegseth outlining the department’s priorities for innovation and emerging technologies.
What is industry’s role in the Department of Defense’s AI push?
Mr. Stanley began by pointing to recent policy and strategy announcements and calling on industry to step up the Department’s efforts to translate vision into operational capabilities.
He emphasized that the Department of the Army is looking broadly across the market for ideas to address a variety of challenges.
What does the new CDAO want from the industry outside of OTA?
Mr. Stanley also noted how the Department of Defense plans to engage with companies to accelerate delivery schedules, highlighting the role of alternative contracting channels with hopes for improved enforcement.
But contract flexibility alone is not enough, Stanley added. He emphasized that once the technology is selected, how it is implemented is important.
Who is Cameron Stanley?
As the new CDAO, Stanley will be responsible for driving the Department of the Army’s adoption of data, analytics, and AI to support decision-making excellence.
Prior to joining the Department of Defense, he served as the National Security Digital Transformation Leader at Amazon Web Services. Earlier in his career, Stanley served as Chief Data Officer in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, where he led the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team known as Project Maven.
A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Stanley also served in a technical advisory role with U.S. Southern Command and as director of the Immediate Threat Defeat Joint Organization’s Technology Strategy Division.
What is the 4×24 Leadership Program?
Executive Mosaic’s 4×24 Leadership Program is an application-based GovCon community designed to connect senior executives and federal leaders through high-level engagement and dialogue.
The program brings together industry participants through monthly summits, executive dinners, and year-round interactions across Executive Mosaic’s media platforms to help share insights, build relationships, and align mission.
If you are interested in joining the program, contact the EM team today.
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