APRIL 23, 2026 – The Office of the Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer for the Department of the Air Force announced, April 20, the public release of the DAF Data and AI Strategies.
These strategies provide a strategic roadmap for the department to become an AI-first force, operationalizing data and AI as decisive force multipliers and strategic assets to maintain air and space dominance from the boardroom to the battlefield.
The unified framework accelerates both enterprise and combat capabilities, providing decisive decision advantage over near-peer adversaries. These strategies are directly aligned with the 2026 National Defense Strategy and the 2026 AI Strategy for the Department of War, specifically supporting the Secretary of War’s priorities of reviving the warrior ethos and reestablishing deterrence through technological superiority.
“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 guiding documents establish AI priorities across several different mission areas, ranging from training and readiness to multi-domain operations. Recognizing that data is the ammunition of modern warfare, the strategies emphasize treating data as a strategic asset and by adopting a decentralized data architecture, the DAF provides warfighters with trusted data at the speed of mission.
“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.”
The implementation of these strategies directly advances the CDAO’s FY2026 goal to institutionalize data and AI as core mission components. This effort builds on Secretary of War’s “Speed Wins” priority, maintaining an unrelenting pace in delivering AI-powered capabilities into the hands of operators today to secure the fight of tomorrow.
Office of the Chief Data and AI Officer