“Combatant commands, in particular, have increased their use of MSS to command and control dynamic operations and activities in their theaters. In response to this growing demand, the [Chief Digital and AI Office] and Army increased capacity to support emerging combatant command operations and other DOD component needs,” a defense official said Thursday.

Questions linger, however, regarding the MSS deployment plan — and who is part of the expanded user base set to gain additional software licenses through this huge contract increase in the near term.

The Pentagon originally launched Project Maven in 2017 to pave the way for wider use of AI-enabled technologies that can autonomously detect, tag and track objects or humans of interest from still images or videos captured by surveillance aircraft, satellites and other means.

In 2022, Project Maven matured into Maven via the start of a major transition. At that time, responsibilities for most of the program’s elements were split between the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and AI Office, while sending certain duties to the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. 

All three organizations running the program have been largely tight-lipped about Maven — and the associated industry-made MSS capabilities — since the transition. 

The Defense Department inked the initial $480 million, five-year IDIQ contract with Palantir for the program in May 2024. The Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground was listed as the awarding agency, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense as the funding agency. Around that time, executives at Palantir told reporters that the work under that contract would initially cover five U.S. combatant commands: Central Command, European Command, Indo-Pacific Command, Northern Command/NORAD, and Transportation Command. The tech was also expected to be deployed as part of the Defense Department’s Global Information Dominance Experiments (GIDE).

In a one-paragraph announcement on Wednesday, DOD revealed its decision to increase that contract ceiling for Palantir’s MSS to nearly $1.3 billion through 2029.

A Pentagon spokesperson referred DefenseScoop’s questions about the move to the Army.

“We raised the ceiling of the contract in anticipation of future demand to support Army readiness. Having the groundwork for the contract in place ahead of time, increases efficiencies and decreases timelines to get the licenses. No acquisition decisions have been made,” an Army official said.

That official referred questions regarding the operational use of MSS — and specifically, which Army units or combatant commands would be front of line to gain new licenses — back to the Pentagon. 

Defense officials did not share further details after follow-up inquiries on Friday. A Palantir spokesperson also declined DefenseScoop’s request for comment.

NGA Director Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth confirmed this week that there are currently more than 20,000 active Maven users across more than 35 military service and combatant command software tools in three security domains — and that the user base has more than doubled since January. 

Palantir also recently signed a deal with NATO for a version of the technology — Maven Smart System NATO — that will support the transatlantic military organization’s Allied Command Operations strategic command.

The post ‘Growing demand’ sparks DOD to raise Palantir’s Maven contract to more than $1B appeared first on DefenseScoop.

Reed — a command pilot with more than 3,500 flight hours — held a variety of joint, headquarters, and base-level roles, and steered a numbered air force, wing, expeditionary operations groups, and a flying training squadron before he assumed leadership at Transcom late last year. 

He’s in charge at a time when the command’s assets, workforce and close commercial partners are in high demand to move Defense Department equipment and personnel by rail, road and waterway in support of a broadening range of contemporary missions. 

On any given day, Transcom has more than 400 airlift sorties inflight, roughly 200 railcars and 1,500 freight shipments en route, 15 or more ships underway, and an estimated 10 patients in air evacuation, according to its most recent statistics.

“I frequently get the question, ‘how is Randall Reed doing, and how does he feel about Transcom?’ And I tell them that as a warfighting commander, I cannot imagine commanding anything else, anywhere else, or serving with anybody else. And one of the things that makes this such an incredible opportunity is the nation needs us — and we’ve always been there,” the commander told DefenseScoop in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the recent Sea-Air-Space summit.

During the discussion, Reed shed light on his near-term technology priorities and some of the command’s most recent high-stakes operations, including those in support of the Trump administration’s mass deportation missions.

Better connectivity

The Maven Smart System is one of several AI-enable software options in Transcom’s technology arsenal that improves the commander’s decision-making on a daily basis. MSS processes imagery and video from drones, sensors and other sources and applies advanced algorithms to inform real-world battlefield and logistics operations.

“I see it as a tool. Maven is not the end-all, be-all,” Reed noted. “But it’s helping us do what we do, better.” 

He detailed how the Transcom team and some of its partners sought to “stretch” the system’s use during the Turbo Challenge exercise in recent weeks.

“In the course of the exercise, we worked really hard to see, one, how good we are at doing our job to support theater commanders, and in this case, the Pacific. And then as we start laying in the system, specifically Maven, how are we using it now? Is it truly satisfactory? And how can we stretch that? And then where can we inject it to everything that we do to go forward? And let’s assess that. What I can share with you is that Maven will continue. Everyone’s very excited about what we discovered, but the biggest piece is not the system itself, it’s that we’re actually changing behavior, and that’s the most powerful,” Reed said.

Each combatant command accesses their own custom interfaces in the platform.

“What it actually allows us to do is use authoritative source data. At the moment, I really don’t care if it’s 100 percent correct. But it is the source data that the subject matter experts actually use and they already trust, and so as they bring their source data to the front, they’re actually allowing the rest of us to become literate in their area but use our own experiences to think critically about that and make the connections,” Reed said.

As this continues, he said meeting times are being reduced because participants are clued in from the jumpstart and can share common operating pictures.

“The other thing too is with such a powerful way to level the understanding, we’ve actually changed the meeting schedules. And we actually have added layers to it, and now all the commanders are meeting every day, using Maven as part of the meeting to very quickly level the understanding, get onboard together in terms of how we’re going to start the day, and then we start the day,” Reed told DefenseScoop.

Regarding his big picture aims while commanding Transcom, the general said he hopes his legacy will be as “one of those energetic folks” who pushed connectivity forward — on both a technical and practical level.

“For the good of the crews, I need all of them in every conveyance we work with to be connected. I need the connectivity to be secure. I need it to be reliable, and in most cases, near instantaneous. And the more connected we are, the more folks that are going to be aware of the battlespace, and they’ll be able to make the local decisions they need to make to survive and actually get the job done,” Reed said.

The ‘unforeseen’

Shortly after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January mandating the U.S. military to take on a direct role in securing the southern border, the Pentagon announced plans to send 1,500 active-duty service members and additional air and intelligence assets to support the effort.

Early on, Transcom was named as a key member of the U.S. Northern Command-led task force launched by DOD to oversee the quick implementation of Trump’s border-related directions, in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security.

In Reed’s view, the interagency immigration and border security missions have improved connectivity and interoperability between DHS and DOD over the last few months.

“[That’s] been my experience whenever the interagency gets together to respond to something, if we’ve worked together on something before, we kind of pick up where we left off,” he said, adding that “in this case, for the most part, it’s the first time for folks to work together” on this particular issue.

Reports have indicated that the command supported deportation flights expelling migrants that the Trump administration deemed to be “high threat.”

“Northcom is actually the lead combatant command for this portion of the mission. And then if anything goes to [U.S. Southern Command], then Southcom is in charge of that piece. So we support them both. And so, we are working with them to plan for things that they know are coming up that they need to do. We support them in that. Otherwise they, for the most part, give us a tasking to fill, and we fill the tasking. So doctrinally, it’s fairly standard,” Reed said.

When asked if the border-related missions have been disruptive to the command’s capacity to carry out its many other responsibilities and deliveries — particularly as certain shipping routes in other parts of the world have become increasingly contested — he told DefenseScoop that his team uses data analytics and other capabilities to monitor its posture and “forecast” its resourcing and financial needs.

“Built into that forecast is an understanding that we always come into contact with reality and something will happen somewhere that we didn’t plan on. And historically, there seems to be a certain amount of that that drives a certain amount of use for the platforms and crews. And so we kind of build something in for that unforeseen. And right now, this just happens to fit into that unforeseen [realm]. But it’s not so big that it’s really consuming all of the unforeseen,” Reed explained.

In recent years, Transcom has played a major role in the delivery of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine. And over the last few months, the command has also maneuvered forces and cargo for multiple exercises in the Pacific region and provided sustainment for Department of State missions to multiple countries. Transcom also recently started another critical mission that involves moving service members and their families via a new program called the Global Household Goods Contract.

Reed emphasized that the command’s personnel and their deep partnerships with commercial suppliers underpin the organization’s ability to execute so much.

“They all know what they’re doing, and they’re incredibly good at what they do — and none of us are as smart as all of us, none of us are as strong as all of us. And when we come together, magic happens, and in the end, it does make a difference,” he said.

At the same time, his leadership team is also eager to explore more applications of emerging technologies — like autonomous uncrewed aerial vehicles and maritime drones — to innovate how Transcom moves and delivers cargo.

“We know that someone now can potentially take a drone, and you could place an order for groceries and they can deliver your lettuce,” he noted. “But that range right now is not very far for some of what the rest of the [U.S. military’s] joint force is looking for.”

Reed pointed to the Indo-Pacific region, where commanders need drones that have the capacity and endurance to go from one island chain to another and operate in contested areas where communications could be limited.

“You look at all of these things to see where it’s at. But what I will tell you is eventually we’re going to get there, and eventually we’ll have things that can go hundreds and thousands of miles and can carry hundreds and thousands of pounds worth of [payloads]. And when that technology gets there, Transcom will be waiting to catch it,” Reed said.

Under an existing cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with National Aerospace Research and Technology Park and the Atlantic County Economic Alliance, the command is currently testing the feasibility of using drones for light, short logistics operations.

“We’re into delivering. Period. So when that technology gets there, we’ll embrace it,” Reed said.

The post New Transcom commander embraces digital tools amid global challenges appeared first on DefenseScoop.

As a combined intelligence and combat support agency, NGA is tasked with collecting geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) from satellites and other sources and turning it into actionable data for military operators and decision makers. Although the organization is already well-versed in AI capabilities — as it runs the Pentagon’s high-profile Maven computer vision program — NGA Director Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth is pushing personnel to leverage the technology even more this year.

“As I was looking at the last several years, we use descriptors for the ‘A’ in NGA with a little bit of alliteration, and we would say ‘action’ or ‘acceleration,’” Whitworth told DefenseScoop in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of Space Symposium. “I wanted to put a finer point on it and say, the ‘A’ for this year is going to be AI.”

Research from NGA and industry on multimodal artificial intelligence has been one of the key factors driving his push for acceleration, he noted.

Similar to generative AI, multimodal models can simultaneously process information from multiple source types — including text, images and audio. But while generative AI is geared toward creating new content, multimodal AI expands on those capabilities and allows users to understand different types of data in a single, integrated output. 

For NGA, that could mean creating more holistic intelligence packages from sources beyond just imagery, which will be critical as available data is expected to exponentially increase in the coming years due to new sensors being fielded across domains.

“Distinction is really difficult — to distinguish enemy from non-enemy, combatant from non-combatant,” Whitworth said. “While GEOINT, imagery-derived intelligence typically is one of our primary forms of identifying and driving distinction, we always are looking for other forms of corroboration.”

NGA has already employed three test cases for multimodal AI, although Whitworth said the capabilities are still too early-on in their development to talk about them more specifically. However, he emphasized that the agency continues to explore other ways to collect and verify data beyond computer vision. 

“It’s a big Earth, and so while we have really good indications typically of where to look, there’s no guarantee,” he said. “Our business is to steal secrets, and when people are trying to keep things secret from us that could cause us harm or change the American way of life, we’re going to have to rely on all kinds of sources to ensure we’re looking at the right place.”

NGA also intends to leverage lessons from ongoing AI-focused targeting programs like Maven and apply them to its other roles, such as warning — which Whitworth described as a “behemoth” responsibility.

“Warning involves establishing a baseline of equipment, behaviors, activities around the world and being able to prioritize where you’re looking, and then ensuring you can find anomalies and announce them,” he said. “That’s going to take a lot of work. … Warning requires improvements in workflow, improvements in automation and yes, it will involve AI and ML.”

The warning mission is currently under the purview of the agency’s Analytic Services Production Environment for the National System for GEOINT program, also known as ASPEN, Whitworth said. 

Kickstarted in 2023 to address massive increases in data, ASPEN is a suite of analytic capabilities that leverages automation and AI to help NGA analysts provide more accurate warning indications to customers.

In order to streamline adoption of AI across all of its roles and responsibilities, Whitworth noted that NGA has recently established a new program executive office for advanced analytics helmed by Rachael Martin, who previously served as the program lead for NGA Maven. The PEO intends to bring together the agency’s best practices of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The new office is NGA’s latest organizational change made to help its AI adoption in 2025. The agency also recently named Mark Munsell as its first director of AI standards, while Trey Treadwell and Joseph O’Callaghan are serving as director of AI programs and director of AI mission, respectively.

“We didn’t actually have people who came to work and said, ‘I am the director of AI.’ And it was time to do that,” Whitworth said. “As the organization begins to mature, you at least have somebody who’s thinking about, what do I need in my organization? Do I need to change names? Do I need to change the organizational structure to ensure AI/ML is treated with the seriousness it deserves?”

At the same time, NGA is keeping an eye out for AI-enabled capabilities being developed by the commercial industry that could be incorporated into its workflows, while leveraging innovative procurement methods geared towards commercial solutions, Whitworth said.

For example, the agency used the Defense Innovation Unit’s commercial solutions opening (CSO) process to award pilot funding for Project Aegir, a program that focuses on commercial techniques to identify, monitor and track illicit maritime vessel activity in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility. NGA is also exploring using bailment agreements, which allows the Defense Department to temporarily loan government-owned systems to smaller companies in order to test, research and develop new capabilities during a trial period.

“It is really focused on, how do we get industry into the door quickly? That’s why we did things like the CSO, that’s why we’re trying bailment agreements,” Whitworth said. “We’re leaning forward on trying to bring them in, because industry moves at the speed of light.”

The post The year of ‘NGAI’: Geospatial-intelligence agency looks to accelerate AI adoption in 2025 appeared first on DefenseScoop.

Senior leaders from the watchdogs unveiled their plans to open this new review in a memorandum issued Sept. 9.

“The DOD OIG self-initiated the project based on our ongoing assessment of operations, programs, and risks in the DOD,” a spokesperson from that office told DefenseScoop on Wednesday.

According to the new joint memo, the “objective of this evaluation is to assess the effectiveness with which the [NGA] has integrated the Maven artificial intelligence program into the NGA’s [GEOINT] operations and fielded the technology to DOD mission areas.”

The officials emphasized, however, that they “may revise the objective as the evaluation proceeds,” and will also consider suggestions for other adjustments.

“We will perform the evaluation at the NGA. We may identify additional locations during the evaluation,” they wrote.

Responding to a then-intensifying demand for military computer vision applications, the Pentagon originally established Project Maven in early 2017 to help pave the way for wider use of AI-enabled technologies that can autonomously detect, tag and track objects or humans of interest from still images or videos captured by surveillance aircraft, satellites and other means.

In 2022, Project Maven matured into Maven via the start of a major transition, which at that time split the responsibilities for most of its elements between NGA and the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and AI Office, while sending certain duties to the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.

NGA has long been considered America’s secretive mapping agency, but it’s understood that one of its primary contemporary missions encompasses managing the entire Maven AI development pipeline.

Still, all three organizations running the program have largely been tight-lipped since the transition began — particularly regarding where that process stands and how each of their primary lines of effort may shift going forward. 

“Over the last few years, the DOD OIG has conducted a series of projects on DOD’s development and use of [AI]. Three evaluations have been initiated on Maven — which as you know is one of the DOD’s primary AI programs,” the Pentagon’s OIG spokesperson told DefenseScoop on Wednesday.

The first evaluation, published in 2019, focused on early stages of the initiative’s development. The second was released in 2022 and honed in on specific contracting aspects. 

“With the Maven program now moved from [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] to NGA, the DOD OIG’s third evaluation, announced earlier this week, will focus on how NGA is integrating Maven into its operations,” the spokesperson said.

An NGA spokesperson told DefenseScoop on Thursday that the agency was expecting, and welcomes, this “planned study.”

Updated on Sept. 12, 2024, at 11:50 AM: This story has been updated to include comment from an NGA spokesperson.

The post Watchdogs move to evaluate NGA’s Maven integration appeared first on DefenseScoop.