The Department of the Air Force’s Office of the Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer has announced the public release of its DAF Data and AI Strategies.
The documents outline a strategic roadmap aimed at advancing the department’s use of data and artificial intelligence across both enterprise and operational environments. The goal is to integrate these capabilities as key enablers of decision-making and mission effectiveness across air and space domains.
The framework is designed to support both organizational functions and combat capabilities, with an emphasis on improving decision advantage in a rapidly evolving security environment. The strategies align with the 2026 National Defense Strategy and the 2026 AI Strategy for the Department of War, supporting broader priorities tied to readiness and technological advancement.
“Our focus is not on developing AI for its own sake, but on rapidly delivering tangible, combat-ready capabilities that solve real-world operational problems,” said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink in the AI Strategy’s forward. “By becoming an AI-first force, we will empower our warfighters to out-think, out-maneuver, and out-pace any adversary.”
The strategies outline priorities across multiple mission areas, including training, readiness, and multi-domain operations. They also emphasize the importance of treating data as a strategic resource, supported by a decentralized architecture intended to provide timely and reliable information to operators.
“In today’s complex global security environment, data and artificial intelligence are no longer support functions—they are the foundation of our strategic overmatch” said Susan Davenport, the DAF’S chief data and AI officer. “Execution of these strategies ensure the Department of the Air Force remains agile and decisively ahead of pacing threats.”
Implementation of the strategies supports the Chief Data and AI Office’s fiscal year 2026 objective to embed data and AI more fully into mission execution, with a focus on accelerating delivery of operational capabilities to the field.
