NEEDED: NEW DIGITAL SKILLS
Using AI and ML technology means the Army must invest in upgrading its workforce’s digital skills.
Another avenue for members of the workforce to upgrade their digital knowledge and skills is to take advantage of online courses made available through Udemy. Te Army is encouraging the workforce to take these courses and will cover the cost for both military and civilian members. Online courses are provided through Udemy (a combination of the words “you” and “acad- emy”). Te Army Civilian Career Management Activity, or ACCMA, provides free licenses for Udemy, which the Director of Acquisition Career Management Office has utilized allow- ing both civilian and military personnel to take these courses to upgrade their skills and knowledge.
Since the implementation of Udemy training in March 2023, 14,628 AAW members have registered and taken free courses from Udemy on digital transformation, data science, agile soft- ware development, AI/ML, DevSecOps, design thinking, human centered design and cloud computing.
Personnel who want to find out more about Udemy classes, and how they can participate in this continuing education, can visit the Digital Transformation page on the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center website at
https://asc.army.mil/web/digital- transformation.
Te Army laboratories also have a variety of programs to bring in students to work at the laboratories as they pursue their degrees, and other programs to expose the next generation of Army personnel (students in K-12) who may want to pursue careers in science and technology. Tese programs include the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) and the Science Math- ematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program.
Annually, AEOP reaches over 28,000 students and educators through STEM enrichment activities, STEM competitions, and apprenticeships and fellowships. AEOP’s eCYBERMIS- SION competition is one of the best-known competitions. Tis free virtual STEM competition is designed for 6th- through 9th-grade students and promotes teamwork, self-discovery and
8 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2024
the real-life applications of STEM. Tese students form teams of two to four youngsters, who are led by an adult team adviser. Tey then select a problem in their community to investigate with science or solve with engineering.
AEOP’s Undergraduate Apprenticeship Program exposes college students to cutting-edge research that’s happening in top univer- sity labs and U.S. Army research laboratories and centers. Tese students work under the mentorship of a professional scientist or engineer. Te SMART program aims to bring more highly skilled STEM professionals into the DOD civilian workforce. Tis competitive scholarship sponsors students in one of 24 national security-critical STEM fields. Selected students are matched with a relevant Army facility and awarded a full-tuition scholarship. Each summer, they intern at that Army facility. Upon gradua- tion, they work at this Army facility for a period commensurate to their scholarship: One year of scholarship is one year of paid service. In 2023, the Army awarded 128 SMART scholarships.
Many of the program executive offices (PEOs) have launched efforts to strengthen our workforce. Tey hire interns who work with and learn from the PEOs. Tese programs are not limited to building technical skills. Some also add new experiences and points of view that add to workforce effectiveness. For example, in fiscal year 2023, the Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors kicked off a pilot program to partner with local Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Delaware region.
CONCLUSION Te development and implementation of AI and ML technology is leading the Army to pursue two different but related acquisi- tion efforts at the same time. First, we are determined to acquire the AI and ML technology itself. But to do that, our workforce must concurrently develop and acquire the necessary digital skills and knowledge it needs to understand and work with AI and ML technology.
Te Army acquisition community is making good progress in both these development and acquisition efforts, which will pay off by ensuring the Army of 2030 and the Army of 2040 will be equipped with the advanced digital technology it will need to fight and win on the battlefield of the future.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112
