Kessel Run goes hands on with AI to speed software delivery
LINCOLN, Mass. -- In line with the Department of the Air Force’s comprehensive strategy to operationalize artificial intelligence and maintain decisive competitive advantage, Kessel Run leadership recently took steps to enhance their organization’s overall knowledge base.
Roughly 30 Kessel Runners immersed themselves in hands-on training during a two-day course meant to teach them the intricacies of AI, June 3-4. Airmen and government civilians in leadership and functional positions trained to build software applications capable of solving real-world problems. The training focused on developing their understanding of how to use AI to develop applications from scratch.
“These are tools that we can use to actually make our own lives easier,” said Lt. Col. Camdon Cady, Kessel Run Operations Command and Control materiel lead.
The training aligns with the Department of the Air Force AI Hiring and Talent Development Plan, which was recently issued by the department's Chief Data and AI Office. The plan details a multi-faceted approach to building a skilled workforce capable of harnessing AI for military superiority.
“2027 is not getting any further away,” Cady said. “We need to be able to be efficient and get things done with AI.”
During the training, participants broke into teams based on experience levels. The course enabled individuals with little to no previous experience in using AI tools, to be able to streamline tasks and deploy fully developed applications.
“We’re going from a user story, to prototyping an application in two days,” Cady said. “We're going to go all the way through the process of working as a team, to build that application in a common environment, and then actually deploy it live.”
The training taught its participants how to compress development timelines, which historically took months, into just a few days. The course provided the infrastructure, environment, and in-room coaching needed for teams to work collaboratively without worrying about backend logistics.
“What we're doing in two days is developing an app that probably would have taken us four to six months to build, two to three years ago,” said Jeff Rodanski, the design practice lead and instructor for the course. “The pivot is now you can have one person play all those roles because of the power of AI.”
By understanding AI capabilities, Air Force leadership can better communicate with industry vendors on realistic timelines and understand the nuances of modern software development. This also enables the acquisition workforce to be better equipped to evaluate the timelines proposed by industry partners, according to Jennifer McBee, Kessel Run deputy division chief.
“Ultimately, the goal of the training is to automate and accelerate administrative work so we can dedicate more time to delivering lethal capabilities to our operators,” McBee said. “When a vendor tells me it's going to take four months to deliver something, you can look at it and say, ‘I could do that tomorrow using AI and get it done within a day.’”
Kessel Run is a division within the Department of the Air Force Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management. C3BM is responsible for managing the DAF Battle Network, which is the integrated system-of-systems connecting sensor, effector, and logistics systems providing better situational awareness, faster operational decisions, and decisive direction to the force.