The U.S. Army knows that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are critical to maintaining an edge over current and future threats in data-driven operations. But only recently did the Army begin to ask an important question: “How do you deliver secure, trusted AI to the systems that need it?”

MAJ Kevin Marks is interviewed by Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.

We are all familiar with zombies. We see them plastered across pop culture in movies, video games, and television shows. You may have even read a full length novel about them! Today, zombies are everywhere. But what if I told you that they had infiltrated the Army, and that most of us interact with them every day?

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These pesky intruders are known as ‘Staff Zombies’ and they come in many shapes and sizes. They may be difficult to spot at first, but once recognized, they are nearly impossible to ignore...

“At the Pentagon, colonels fetch the coffee,” or so the saying goes. This idiomatic – and admittedly hyperbolic – expression is intended to set expectations for the level of rank “in the building.” This is a useful backdrop for the strategic broadening experience that is the JCS internship. It offers junior officers the opportunity to gain insight and experience in national level policymaking to then go back to the force and connect the operational bridge between strategy and tactics.

How did we get here? Ten minutes ago was a tactical miscalculation. Ten days ago was the latest round of protests. Ten years ago I argued we were already in a fight – in danger if not under fire.

“...that’s what the viral footage is showing, Hailee,” chimed the voice of CNN broadcaster Matt McCallen. “We’re seeing what looks like a confrontation between Donovian and US forces in Otso, and what clearly appears to be a US rocket fired at a Donovian Navy ship.  What more can you tell us?”

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“Joe, give me a second.  I want to see this...” the Chairman said as he stopped in front of his office television...

This year’s introduction of the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) presents soldiers with their first new physical assessment since the Army Physical Fitness Test was introduced in 1982. This institutional shift is intended to address holistic, combat-ready fitness, and it has been met with significant hype. Some fear that a new test will unduly burden units and result in more injuries. Others worry that failing to modernize the test will prevent the Army from meeting relevant battlefield needs. But many of these debates, while certainly engaging and useful, overlook a deeper point: Instead of focusing so intently on how to test the force, critics should pay more attention on how to train it.