As artificial intelligence reshapes military operations at breakneck speed, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is launching an accelerated master's degree aimed at pushing AI-literate officers into the fleet as early as 2027. Speaking at AFCEA/USNI West in San Diego, Capt.

Mike Owen, co-chair of the NPS AI Task Force, said the new program is designed to close a widening gap between the pace of technological change and the Department of the Navy's ability to train personnel to use emerging tools.

Owen said NPS teams are also traveling to major Navy and Marine Corps hubs to deliver AI 101 and prompt-engineering workshops. He added that the rollout of GenAI.mil and increased access to AI models are enabling NPS students to explore the technology more deeply and deliver new capabilities to the Navy.

The U.S. Navy is transitioning to a continuous cybersecurity model, leveraging AI to prevent or significantly mitigate cyberattacks as it shifts from traditional risk management frameworks to the Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct.

Shery Thomas, enterprise IT officer at Navy Installations Command (CNIC), discussed how the transition is unfolding at the command level.

Thomas outlined CNIC's cybersecurity initiatives, including adopting a continuous observability and readiness model. He also addressed cultural hurdles in elevating cybersecurity to a "live" operational status and the steps the command is taking to overcome them.

In addition, Thomas discussed supply chain security and how CNIC is leveraging AI to support autonomous deterrence capabilities. He emphasized the human dimension of technological change, including how new cybersecurity structures impact sailors and civilian personnel at Navy installations and the efforts underway to strengthen workforce awareness and accountability.

War Department components are pivoting away from "exquisite" hardware in favor of agile, low-cost manufacturing methodologies. Part of this shift includes prize challenges like the Naval Postgraduate School's Tactical Missile Innovation Challenge, a non-traditional challenge that emphasizes methodology.

Speaking at AFCEA/USNI WEST in San Diego, California, NPS Director of Research Innovation at the Naval Postgraduate School Kaitie Penry said that the Tactical Missile Innovation Challenge, unlike traditional military contracts that demand a hardware prototype, asks participants for a design methodology. The goal, she said, is to produce missiles at scale using 3D printing and commercial off-the-shelf parts for cost efficacy and scalability.

Penry also said that the challenge aims to replace million-dollar assets with $5,000 alternatives that can be mass-produced, allowing the fleet to maintain a "quantity has a quality of its own" advantage for munitions.

Guest Ty Hughes is a longtime cybersecurity and technology leader in the public sector that champions cyber wellness. He discussed the concept of "AI alchemy" and a "pause, breathe, summarize" framework to help leaders improving clarity under pressure.

He framed cybersecurity not as a technical challenge, but rather as a human system under constant cognitive and emotional load. He discussed how burnout, decision fatigue and constant urgency can degrade security performance long before technical failures might appear.

The Trump administration's July 2025 AI Action Plan calls on National Institute of Standards & Technology to revise its AI Risk Management Framework amid easing federal regulation of the tech.

Martin Stanley, principal researcher for AI and cybersecurity at NIST, joined us at the AI Summit on Jan. 9 to discuss new AI control overlays for the Special Publication 800-53 series and the risks they are designed to address. Stanley explained how these overlays build on existing security controls to help agencies better manage AI-specific threats while aligning with broader federal priorities outlined in the AI Action Plan.

Stanley also explored where agencies struggle to turn AI risk frameworks into operational reality, from governance structures to implementation at the system level. Looking ahead, he shared how NIST expects AI security guidance to evolve as agencies transition from pilot projects to enterprise deployments and what new or updated standards federal leaders should anticipate next.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CIO Bob Costello joined GovCIO Media & Research at its AI Summit earlier this year to discuss how the agency is deploying agentic AI and tackling cybersecurity workforce challenges.

Costello outlined how CISA is integrating AI into operations while prioritizing security, oversight and workforce readiness.

Costello also highlighted CISA's partnership with the Office of Personnel Management on the Scholarship for Service CyberCorps program, which aims to strengthen the federal cybersecurity talent pipeline. He said agencies need new approaches to help employees better understand AI's role and build confidence using the technology in day-to-day work. The conversation also touched on how CISA's agentic AI capabilities are accelerating approval timelines and autonomously taking action to mitigate cyber threats.

Federal government's accelerated use of AI is driving attention toward data infrastructure. Efforts to train models and secure data mean AI is increasing both the volume of data agencies generate and the expectations placed on the infrastructure.

Pure Storage Senior Director of Strategic Federal Programs Doyle Choi focused on what AI and cybersecurity mean for the growing data demands and how he's seeing agencies rethinking storage and infrastructure strategies.

The interview also looks at how agencies are prioritizing infrastructure investments to support AI responsibly to balance speed and innovation with data protection, compliance and sustainability.

Agencies are implementing AI in different ways, from developing internal tools to buying off-the-shelf solutions. At Space Force, Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer Chandra Donelson and AI Innovation Lead Oliver Tannheiser told AI GovCast that they are using innovative strategies to bring AI to Guardians.

Flywheel Award winner Tannheiser said that Space Force is using GPT systems to give Guardians access to 33 different large language models, allowing them access to different ways to solve problems using AI. Donelson added that Space Force is shifting its AI adoption mindset to identify specific problems faced by Guardians and working backward to find the right tool.

Tannheiser also noted that the Space Force AI Challenge is bringing innovation to Guardians. One recent success is Polaris, an AI tool designed to help families navigate the stressors of Permanent Change of Station by finding childcare and base information.

Tune in for an interview with a cybersecurity and technology leader who will host an upcoming new podcast series created for the government technologist.

Meet the voice behind the show who discusses the importance of wellness and leadership in federal IT. Technically Zen explores the intersection of well-being and technology, with honest conversations about mental health, leadership, resilience and what it takes to build a sustainable career in tech.

The host of the series goes by JoJo D, also known as the Chaos Guru, a longtime technology and cybersecurity leader. She highlights what the show will dive into as shaped by her own experiences and conversations across the tech community.

Here's what listeners can expect when the show officially launches and why this topic is especially relevant for federal technologists today.

Artificial intelligence has become a critical enabler across NASA. Deputy CAIO Krista Kinnard discussed its impact on engineers using "text-to-structure" capabilities, the design for stronger spacecraft components, program managers optimizing complex schedules and HR teams streamlining operations.

NASA's approach to AI represents a cultural shift from the agency's historically siloed structure to one emphasizing cross-pollination and collaboration. Kinnard explained how the agency consolidating its AI infrastructure across all 10 NASA field centers nationwide.

She also discussed how NASA is forming partnerships with industry, academia and emerging AI startups to stay at the forefront of innovation.