Modernizing Department of the Air Force Training and Education Approaches: Leveraging Stackable Certificates for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies : RAND Corporation , August 11 , 2026
Modernizing Department of the Air Force Training and Education Approaches: Leveraging Stackable Certificates for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies : RAND Corporation , August 11 , 2026
From the report: “Warfare is increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), autonomy, cyber capabilities, and data-driven operations, and U.S. adversaries are investing heavily in these technologies in ways that could reduce U.S. military advantage. As the Commission on the National Defense Strategy warned in 2024, today’s force is already strained to meet the needs of strategic competition and potential multitheater war. That reality, along with ongoing operational and personnel demands from conflict with Iran and from U.S. Department of War (DOW) efforts to deter the People’s Republic of China in the Indo-Pacific, suggests that the U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF) may need to continue building a force able to generate decision advantage, integrate emerging technologies, and fight effectively in a faster, more complex battlespace.
In an era of constrained resources, technological fluency may increasingly need to be treated as a core element of warfighter readiness, not a niche skill or one-time educational requirement. Airmen and guardians must continuously adapt as these capabilities evolve. The DAF could consider investing in targeted, ongoing, “just-in-time” training in AI, data literacy, and cyber-enabled operations to ensure that the force remains lethal, agile, and capable of doing more with less. While this report focuses on officer and warrant officer (WO) populations, future studies could extend this framework to enlisted and civilian personnel in support of a more comprehensive, force-wide approach to AI integration.”
Authors - Piazza, Kelly, Atkinson, Kelly, Lim, NelsonSubjects
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