Page 10 - Aerotech News and Review – October 3, 2025

10 October 3, 2025
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22nd ATKS officer honored with community award
AEROTECH NEWS
by Senior Airman Renee Blundon
Creech AFB, Nev.
Capt. Carol Stephens, an MQ-9 Reaper pilot with the 22nd Attack Squadron at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., was recognized on Sept. 15, 2025, by the Rotary Clubs of Southern Nevada with the Safety Officer Award Recognition award.
Founded in 2000 by the Rotary Clubs of Southern Nevada, the SOAR award was cre- ated to honor the “ordinary” professionals who consistently perform in an extraordi- nary way, the quiet heroes who protect and strengthen their communities every day.
The program has grown from eight par- ticipating agencies to 18, recognizing more than 1,000 honorees over 25 years while championing Rotary’s Four-Way Test and the ideal of Service Above Self.
“Captain Stephens represents the best of who we are and what we do,” said Lt. Col. Brett Foster, commander of the 22nd ATKS, who presented the award. “She’s an exceptional officer and aviator, lethal when it counts, humble always, and she makes everyone around her better. I trust her im- plicitly with any task.”
Since the start of the year, Stephens has flown numerous combat sorties, provid-
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Renee Blundon
Lt. Col. Brett Foster, 22nd Attack Squadron commander, presents Capt. Carol Stephens, 22nd ATKS MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft pilot, the Safety Officer Award Recognition during a ceremony at Las Vegas City Hall, Nevada, Sept. 15, 2025. She was honored for her leadership in combat operations, deployment readiness, and mentorship, as well as her selfless service to the local and global community.
“From day one, she was a ‘fire-and- forget’ leader,” said Capt. Corbett Light, 22ndATKSAssistantDirectorofOpera- tions. “You give her intent, and she runs with it, calm under pressure, tactically sharp, and relentlessly focused on taking care of people.”
Despite winning the SOAR award and being selected to be the squadron safety officer, Stephens was quick to acknowl- edge her teammates’ contributions.
“I’m honored, and honestly humbled,” she said. “So many of my peers are doing exceptional work every day. Any rec- ognition I’m receiving is a reflection of our whole team and the mentors who’ve invested in me.”
Foster echoed that sentiment. “What we do is a team sport,” he said. “There are standout performers, and Stephens is certainly one of them. She believes in the mission, she’s committed to it, and she lives ‘Service Before Self’ in and out of uniform.”
The 22nd ATKS, part of the 432nd Wing, conducts persistent attack and re- connaissance operations with the MQ-9 Reaper to defend the nation, support joint and coalition forces and safeguard the homeland.
ing critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance that directly supported the removal of high-value targets. She advanced rapidly through instructor and mission commander certifications, setting the pace for her peers and contributing to the overall growth of squadron qualifica- tions and training progression.
Beyond the cockpit, Stephens served as Chief of Readiness and Unit Deployment Manager, carefully managing aircrew readiness and leading deployment prepa-
ration for multiple overseas taskings and large-scale exercises. She also overhauled the operations facility’s Shelter-in-Place plan and coordinated extensive recon- stitution training, ensuring continuous MQ-9 mission capability and strengthen- ing squadron resilience.
Stephens was handpicked by the squadron commander to serve as the squadron safety officer, a high-visibility role requiring advanced mishap investiga- tion training.
Air Force experiments with AI, boosts battle management speed and accuracy
by Deb Henley
Las Vegas, Nev.
The Air Force wrapped up the second Decision Advan- tage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, known as DASH 2, a fast-paced experiment exploring how artificial intelligence can help operators make faster, smarter decisions in complex battlespaces.
DASH 2 took place at the Shad- ow Operations Center-Nellis’ un- classified location in downtown Las Vegas and was led by the Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team.
The effort was conducted in partnership with the Air Force Research Lab’s 711th Human Per- formance Wing, the Integrated Capabilities Command, and the 805th Combat Training Squad- ron, also known as the ShOC-N.
AI speeds decision advantage
Initial results showed that ma- chines produced recommenda- tions in less than 10 seconds and generated 30 times more options than human-only teams.
Two vendors each produced more than 6,000 solutions for roughly 20 problems in just one
hour. The software’s accuracy was on par with human perfor- mance, despite only two weeks of development. In one case, a single algorithm adjustment would have raised recommendation validity from 70 percent to more than 90 percent.
“This level of output gives commanders options to execute multiple kill chains simultane- ously and we’re excited about our next experiment to generate the courses of action with the machines to help illuminate risk, opportunity gain/loss, material gain/loss, among others,” said Col. John Ohlund, ABMS CFT director.
Inside DASH 2
The DASH series is part of the Air Force’s campaign to modern- ize command and control and gain decision advantage through human-machine teaming. Each sprint refines a specific decision function and informs future Department of the Air Force C2 development. The series also sup- ports the Pentagon’s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative.
“Human-machine teaming is
critical to accelerating the speed and quality of decisions across the joint force, and DASH 2 provides the insights we need to make that a reality,” said Col. Jonathan Zall, ABMS Capability Integration chief.
Human-machine teaming in action
Seven teams participated in DASH 2, including six industry teams and one ShOC-N innova- tion team. Their challenge was to design AI-enabled microservices capable of assisting operators with the “match effectors” function, which determines the best avail- able weapon system to destroy an identified target.
Developers observed battle management crews operating without machine assistance, then iteratively designed and tested tools to augment human decision- making. Final demonstrations compared human-only perfor- mance against human-machine performance, measuring speed, quantity, and quality.
“Being part of DASH 2 showed us how human-machine teaming can enhance performance with- out losing operator judgment,”
said Capt. Steven Mohan III, 726th Air Control Squadron chief of standards and evaluations.
Industry, Air Force collaboration
Evaluation focused on whether these tools helped operators make more effective decisions, not just process more data.
DASH 2 also reaffirmed the value of co-development with both industry and Air Force developers. Companies retained intellectual property rights while the Air Force gained insight into integration and functional requirements for future C2 soft- ware.
“At the ShOC-N, our mission is to put new capabilities into operators’ hands and test them under conditions that resemble real-world battle management,” said Lt. Col. Shawn Finney, 805th CTS/ShOC-N command- er. “DASH 2 demonstrated how the battle lab enables rigor- ous testing while maintaining operational fidelity, bridging the gap between concept and capability.”
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Air Force photographs by Deb Henley
A U.S. Air Force air battle manager, center, provides information to an industry partner during the Department of the Air Force’s second Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the 805th Combat Training Squadron’s unclassified location in downtown Las Vegas, Nev., July 29, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model.
See AI, on Page 12