The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber hosted a Redstone Update on December 11 at the Von Braun Center.

The day’s events began at 8 a.m. and included updates on the Federal Bureau of Investigation, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Space & Missile Defense Command, and Redstone Arsenal.

Jeff Gronberg, CEO of deciBel Research, moderated a panel discussion entitled “Driving Innovation Together with AI & Advanced Analytics.”

The panel brought together leaders from academia, the military, and private industry to discuss challenges and opportunities that they see on the horizon as a result of Artificial Intelligence.

The panelists included:

COL Trent Geisler, Ph.D., U.S. Army Materiel Command
Lisa Hirschler, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command
Seth Farrington, DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center
Dr. Doug Matty, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Panelists discussed the need for quality data, issues related to trust and AI, and the challenge of finding and retaining top AI talent.

Reducing red tape that slows collaboration between industry, academia, and the various branches of the military was identified as an actionable step that could be taken to speed innovation.

Gronberg asked the speakers what they wished the contractors in the room knew about how to best support the AI needs of the organizations represented on the panel.

“We want to work with you, hand in hand, and not just be delivered a product,” said Hirschler. “A delivered product that we don’t understand the backend of is not anything that would be terribly helpful for us.”

Along similar lines, Matty encouraged contractors to build products with open architecture which will allow for rapid adaptation and technological updates.

The Redstone Update culminated with a luncheon, featuring Major General Gavin A. Lawrence as the keynote speaker.

MG Lawrence provided a bird’s eye view of “Redstone by the Numbers.”

Lawrence said that the economic impact of Redstone Arsenal on local communities is estimated to be $36.2 billion.

Ninety acres have been cleared on the Arsenal for construction of facilities that will support the FBI in their mission to provide advanced educational opportunities. Lawrence described the coursework that will take place there as “Ph.D. level.”

Redstone Arsenal encompasses 38,162 acres of land. There are 14,700 remaining developable acres and 2,603 of these are considered “prime” developable acres.

Last year, the Arsenal processed over 2,600 recreational access badges for local community members who entered the installation to golf, hunt, bowl, play bingo, or practice their archery skills.

MG Lawrence encouraged program guests to download the My Army Post App and select Redstone Arsenal. The app provides updates on the status of gates, food options on the Arsenal, and the availability of recreational activities.

“We want you to use this as a tool to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on at Redstone because we want you to be able to partake of what we have going on inside the gates,” said Lawrence.

Photo Credit: Huntsville/Madison County Chamber