A principios de este a\u00f1o, el Subsecretario de Defensa Kathleen Hicks firm\u00f3 un memorando que promet\u00eda transformar el Pent\u00e1gono en una organizaci\u00f3n “centrada en datos” para 2025. Si bien enfatiz\u00f3 los beneficios de incorporar m\u00e1s datos en las tecnolog\u00edas de entrenamiento y simulaci\u00f3n, la subsecretaria adjunta de Defensa para la preparaci\u00f3n de la fuerza, Kimberly Jackson, dijo que le preocupa que no haya suficiente conciencia sobre las posibles debilidades que la estrategia podr\u00eda generar. Ser\u00e1 dif\u00edcil capacitar al personal para superar los nuevos desaf\u00edos del campo de batalla si est\u00e1n acostumbrados a tener acceso a tanta informaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n
ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>As the Pentagon works to become more digital, the services should be wary of their training programs leaning too heavily on data, a top official in charge of strategic readiness said Dec. 1.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks signed a memorandum promising to transform the Pentagon into a \u201cdata-centric\u201d organization by 2025.<\/p>\n While she emphasized the benefits of incorporating more data into training and simulation technologies, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Readiness Kimberly Jackson said she is concerned there is not enough awareness about potential weaknesses the strategy could generate.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of us are huge proponents of the drive that we’re currently in towards having more data transparency, more data sharing,\u201d she said during a panel at the National Training and Simulation Association’s annual Interservice\/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando, Florida. NTSA is an affiliate of the National Defense Industrial Association.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many reasons that we point to that that can advantage us in a myriad of ways,” she said. However, “I think that we have not adequately thought through what some of the drawbacks are.”<\/p>\n Thinking about potential risks from the Pentagon\u2019s data strategy \u201ckeeps me up at night,\u201d\u00a0Jackson said.<\/p>\n For example, the services have long acknowledged that future fights will take place in a contested environment. As China and Russia\u2019s investment in warfighting technology has boomed, Defense Department leaders have said the U.S. military will not have the same advantages it has had in the past.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know how we square that knowledge with our reliance, and increasing reliance, on data,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n Additionally, it will be difficult to train service members to overcome challenges presented by a contested battlefield if they are accustomed to having access to so much data, she explained. \u201cIt can make us less flexible and less able to respond to changing conditions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Making data a bigger part of Pentagon operations also gives adversaries more opportunities to steal that information, she added. \u201cThe more data that we have, the more data that our adversaries have on us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She acknowledged the programs and policies working to protect the Defense Department’s data. But Jackson pointed out that no technique is foolproof, and more work should be done to prepare for security lapses.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really embrace this concept of more data. We all are quick to point out the benefits of it,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we owe it to ourselves as a department to really think through how we mitigate some of the potential negative repercussions as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, training suffers when it only focuses on quantitative data, said Chris Dougherty, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security’s defense program.<\/p>\n \u201cIt becomes an end unto itself rather than an input to decision making,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n