Army Reserve AI Team partners with XVIII Airborne Corps to solve Real-World Army problems

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Chlosta, 75th US Army Reserve Innovation Command

FORT LIBERTY, N.C. - Army Reserve Soldiers from the 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command’s Artificial Intelligence Team participated in Code-A-Thon 24, an exercise in support of XVIII Airborne Corps’ AI initiatives, July 19-Aug. 2, 2024.

CAT24 allowed the 75th USARIC Soldiers to use their expertise in AI, data science, product management and engineering to solve real-world Army problems.

“The focus of this FY [fiscal year] 2024 Code-A-Thon, our two-week annual training, we are utilizing large language models to automate the assessment process with publicly available information and we’re partnering closely with XVIII Airborne Corps to solve this mission use case with some of the civilian technical expertise that our Army Reserve Soldiers bring to the fight,” said Army Reserve Lt. Col. Jason Kim, AI product director, AI Team, Mountain View Battalion, Army Applications Group, 75th USARIC.

In his civilian capacity, Kim is a Director of Analytics for a company that focuses on search engine technology and generative AI.

“For this exercise we’re leveraging the diverse skill sets of our Army Reservists, who come from different technical backgrounds on their civilian side,” Kim added.

75th USARIC CAT24 Soldiers support the XVIII Airborne Corps as an early adopter of AI solutions to Army problems

This year’s area of emphasis helped XVIII Airborne Corps experiment with a faster way to determine the impact of operations by using multi-modal LLMs to search, for example, social media posts.

“This use case has brought a lot of attention to this team and led to discussions on additional use cases with new Army customers,” said Army Reserve Maj. Michael Moll, operations, officer-in-charge, AI Team and Big Data, MV BN, AAG, 75th USARIC. “It’s exciting to be a part of the Army’s early adoption efforts in artificial intelligence.”

CAT24 was an impressive display of what this team is capable of, Moll added.

“Large Language Models are proving to be an incredibly flexible technological advancement, and we are just scratching the surface on what can be done,” said Army Reserve Capt. Peter Rogers, cloud engineer, AI Team, MV BN, AAG, 75th USARIC.

Social Media Assessments Tool

Operational impacts analysis via a pilot social media assessments tool was chosen as the project for the 75th USARIC AI Team and XVIII Airborne Corps collaboration during this year’s CAT24.

“The XVIII [Airborne Corps] wanted to experiment with what information is available from social media and other more traditional information sources, such as news outlets; that could be used to help us understand the impacts of operations,” said Army Col. Randall A. Linnemann, chief innovation officer, XVIII Airborne Corps. “When we look at the various conflicts across the globe, the bloggers, bystanders and reporters are often on the scene and recording information and that information can help inform our decision making.”

CAT24 is the second AT exercise in the CAT AT series for the 75th USARIC AI team

“The Code-A-Thon [24] was a chance to push the boundaries of AI in a military context,” said Sgt. Mohit Singh, data scientist, MV BN, AAG, 75th USARIC. He also works as a data scientist in his civilian career.

The AI team developed a system to extract relevant PAI and social media posts, on directed topics or areas of interest, significantly accelerating analysis, he added.

“This year I was responsible for documentation for our team's project to enable a seamless handoff to our stakeholders,” said Army Reserve 1st Lt. Joseph Yassin, cloud engineer, Support Group, 75th USARIC.

Yassin works as a senior cloud solution architect in his civilian capacity.

“It’s exciting to see how our civilian expertise in data science can directly contribute to the Army’s mission,” Singh said.

“We have the opportunity to tackle complex challenges,” like using AI for operational impacts analysis, which has real-time applications, he added.

The 75th USARIC AI team’s CAT24 collaboration will benefit the XVIII Airborne Corps in the present and the future, according to Linnemann.

“We expect it will help us understand all aspects of ongoing military operations in near real time,” Linnemann said. “We expect it to help us make better decisions, faster.”

The Future Looks Bright for the 75th USARIC Soldier Innovators

“We briefed the 75th’s Commanding General, Major General [Michelle] Link, [during the first week of CAT24],” said Moll.

He is a data scientist in his civilian career.

“She made the comment that she felt like she was in rarified air and that is exactly the feeling I get when I’m with this team,” Molls said. “There is a surprising level of technical talent within the Army Reserve and a unit like this is often the only way to retain that talent.”

Yassin said he joined the 75th USARIC looking for opportunities within the Army Reserve to leverage his technical skill set.

“The 75th has been the perfect place for me, allowing me to bring my [unique] skillset and apply [it to] Army use cases,” Yassin said. “I recommend joining the 75th if you’re passionate about technology and excited about working in a fast-paced environment [and] working on cutting-edge projects.”

The diversity of skills and backgrounds among the Soldiers here creates a rich environment for innovation, Singh added.

Rogers, who works as a multi-cloud engineer in his civilian career, also has a background in cloud and deployment engineering.

He joined the 75th as part of the Cyber & Electromagnetic Activity portfolio to provide both hands-on-keyboard and advisory support to the Army Transformation Enterprise.

“Having supported AI Portfolio projects over the last year, I recently transferred over.” Rogers said. “It has been great to bring skills from my day job to bear on Army problems along with technically advanced colleagues on proofs of concept for mission use cases”

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the 75th USARIC has 420 Soldiers and civilians stationed throughout the U.S. near the nation’s technological hubs such as Austin, Boston and Silicon Valley. Every one of them is dedicated to innovation that supports the ATE.

“The unit provides a unique space to grow both professionally and personally, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in applying their civilian expertise in a meaningful way,” said Singh.

The 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command, as part of the ATE, provides specialized capabilities persistently engaged within the key Army Futures Command elements and initiatives to enhance the Army's pursuit to maintain its competitive advantage.

“Joining the 75th Innovation Command Artificial Intelligence team has been the highlight of my Army career,” said Moll. 

(Editor’s Note: If interested in joining the 75th USARIC, Go to innovation.army.mil to learn more and how to apply) Also, Follow the 75th USARIC at: www.facebook.com/armyreserve75

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www.linkedin.com/company/75thusaric/