Marine Corps Turns to AI to Help ID Pay Delays, Boost Retention

The Marine Corps is using artificial intelligence to identify and help address unresolved issues like pay delays and training gaps that can drive Marines out of service, officials from the 4th Marine Logistics Group (MLG) said this week.

The group’s AI-enabled prototype, PULSE Check, addresses shortcomings in traditional military feedback, including low engagement and data lag that can render annual audits outdated upon release.

“[Reviews like the Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS)] are our annual physical, a comprehensive and irreplaceable assessment of your physical and even mental health slide, but PULSE Check is a Fitbit,” Col. Prescott Wilson, chief of staff for the 4th MLG said during Modern Day Marine Tuesday in Washington, D.C. “You have it on. You’re getting day-to-day, continuous feedback and it adds to the overall annual health assessment.”

Wilson said the tool addresses a key challenge in the reserves, where commanders often lack real-time visibility into the stressors affecting personnel. Traditional surveys can take weeks to plan, execute and analyze, often producing lengthy reports after a Marine has already decided to leave the service.

“By the time we’re talking to these Marines, they’ve already made a decision. They’re effectively leaving our ranks, and that comes at a cost to manpower. That’s talent we can’t get back,” Wilson told GovCIO Media & Research in an interview.

PULSE Check uses a four-minute, mobile-friendly interface to generate statistically reliable data in near real time. Col. Samuel Sung, a Logistics Innovation Unit officer and Marine reservist, said that speed enables a more responsive leadership approach.

“If it’s no longer this painful several‑hour process. It’s only minutes, then they’re more likely to say, ‘Hey, can we run another one?” Sung told GovCIO Media & Research.

Non-Traditional Engineering

Sung built the prototype using the same type of AI capabilities it deploys. Rather than relying on traditional software development, he used conversational prompting with AI agents to design and stand up the system.

“I don’t know how to code, but I know how to talk. I know how to talk to an AI agent, just like everybody can click ChatGPT or Gemini or whatnot,” Sung noted. ” I started talking to it, ‘Hey, I don’t know how to do this. Can you walk me through this?’ And it started walking me step by step. About three hours later, I tapped my fellow innovation officer and said, ‘I think this works.’”

PULSE Check uses a large language model to analyze free-form text responses — the qualitative input where Marines are most likely to surface candid concerns. The system allows command teams to interact with their unit’s data as if they were speaking to a dedicated staff officer, Sung said.

“What if every unit had a data analyst and that person was insanely smart and they remembered all the data? That’s what we did with PULSE Check,” Sung said.

Keeping a Human in the Loop

Sung and Wilson emphasized that the AI is designed to sharpen military judgment, not replace it. All AI systems need to have a human in the loop for better commander decision-making, Wilson said.

“If the idea ever became that AI is telling the commander the decision to make, then they’re no longer a commander,” Wilson said.

Sung added that the system is intended to surface insights and provide a “red team” perspective, not definitive answers.

“If we outsource our thinking to AI, that’s a very dangerous place to be,” he said. “The philosophy that was built into this is that this AI tool is not going to give you the answer. There is no answer. It gives you feedback.”

Better Feedback, Stronger Units

Rapid iteration also strengthens trust, Sung and Wilson told GovCIO Media & Research. When Marines see their suggestions and complaints acted upon quickly via the PULSE Check system, Sung said, it creates a better feedback cycle.

“[Commanders can say], ‘Hey, we got your feedback. We’d like to do something about it,’” Sung said. “It’s a faster iteration loop. It doesn’t take a year to get feedback.”

Wilson said that a cultural shift may be the PULSE Check’s best possible outcome.

“If the Marines and sailors in the ranks feel and they can see that their feedback matters … there is a lot of intangible readiness gains that come from that kind of climate,” Wilson said. “There’s a closed loop where the Marines have a little bit more voice and can be very helpful in making a stronger unit.”