Why accelerating decision-making—not just building models—is the real frontier of defense AI

Guest: Mack Ohlinger – CEO, Dunedain

Most AI conversations in defense focus on models, data, or compute. This one does not. Mack Ohlinger, CEO of Dunedain, is building agent-based systems designed to compress military planning and decision-making timelines from days to seconds. This episode breaks down what actually matters: architecture, user interaction, and the hard reality of getting AI from demo to production. 

Topics

• Building agent-based AI systems for military planning workflows (MDMP/MCPP)
• Why most AI companies fail between demo and production
• The role of architecture, testing, and user interaction in mission-grade AI

Takeaways

• The core constraint in defense is decision speed, not access to data or models.
• AI systems that succeed mirror existing cognitive workflows and compress them, rather than replacing them outright.
• The gap between demo and production is driven by integration, edge cases, and real user behavior—not model performance.
• High-quality data is necessary but insufficient; systems must continuously learn from users in real environments.
• Modular, MOSA-aligned architectures introduce integration complexity that must be actively managed.

Timestamped Highlights

[00:00] – Intro and mission: accelerating decision-making in defense

[02:30] – From operator experience to startup: identifying the planning bottleneck

[07:00] – Why most AI demos fail to survive contact with real users

[10:30] – The challenge of testing stochastic, multi-agent systems

[18:00] – How to frame AI capability for defense customers (KPPs, outcomes, trust)

[26:00] – Decision-making under changing requirements and dynamic missions

[28:30] – The future: AI-enabled planning from the CoCom level to the individual operator

Resources & Links

• Mack Ohlinger — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mack2
• Dunedain — https://dunedainsystems.com/

“The hardest part is not building the system. It’s getting from 99% to 100%—from demo to production.”