In November 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) embraced the AI revolution with the release of its comprehensive AI adoption strategy. Despite AI’s longstanding presence in industry discourse, the DoD’s renewed commitment underscored its recognition of AI’s potential to revolutionize operational efficiency and national security. However, the ability to realize this potential requires committing to much-needed infrastructure updates. While once reliable, legacy TDM networks now present barriers to AI capabilities, particularly in handling the immense volumes of data essential for AI applications.
On the latest Government Technology Insider podcast, Lamont Copeland, Senior Director, Federal Solutions Architecture at Verizon and Jim Westdorp, Chief Technologist at Ciena Government Solutions Inc., explained the complexities surrounding the modernization of DoD networks, exploring the critical need for infrastructure updates to support the adoption of AI.
“The challenge is how to make sure the networks stay current and relevant to support the operational side and the mission,” said Copeland. “AI is the biggest thing we hear today, and it enables many things happening in our video surveillance capabilities, and more. There’s also a proliferation of sensors, and all of this data needs to be passed back and forth. It will be critical for the network to be able to maintain this.”
Listen to the full podcast here: