The Deane-Drummond Prize

Through Project LEWES, the Field Army seeks to accelerate agile adaptation and increase the speed at which the Army learns lessons from contemporary conflict and applies them to new equipment, training and tactics. Experimentation and innovation play a critical role in agile adaptation, as early demonstration of opportunities including agile command posts and sustainable power optimisation as two potential game changers for Army digital operations illustrate. Awash with intelligence and data originating from automated sensors, libraries and human activity across multiple security domains, held in near limitless cloud storage, presents unique challenges for the Army’s digital professionals and Champion, the Royal Signals. Against a threat of ‘over- digitisation of the battlespace’, the human-machine interface has never been more tested, as now. The Army will have to adapt its traditional practices and procedures, structures and hierarchies, and AI and ML have a role to play. The following question was posed to provoke thought and innovation for submissions:

What are the opportunities in which artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning

(ML) can be intelligently applied to accelerate Field Army agile adaptation and

enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Royal Signals, and its many digital

and intelligence missions across the electromagnetic spectrum and cyberspace?

This year the competition had two phases, an essay submission that was narrowed down to the top 20, who then gave a presentation to bring their submission to life. With top three winners for both the Officer cohort and WO and SNCOs.

Link to full article.