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AI for National Security Applications

The Defense Department has been working with artificial intelligence for decades, and the tech’s recent rapid advancement is opening opportunities for extensive implementation.

Leaders from the Defense Innovation Unit, the Army and Maximus explain how they are keeping pace with the demand for AI for national security applications, while balancing budget and processing constraints and preparing data for better warfighter decision-making.

Learn more about:

How Defense leaders are balancing AI modernization with legacy systems.
How collaboration with industry is fueling AI implementation in national security environments.
How Defense officials are using AI to support warfighters at the edge while maintaining enterprise support.

Featuring

Ross Gianfortune Senior Staff Writer, GovCIO Media & Research
Ross Gianfortune
- Senior Staff Writer
- GovCIO Media & Research
Prior to joining the GovCIO Media and Research staff, Ross Gianfortune worked at Government Executive, The Washington Post, The Gazette Newspapers and WXRT Radio. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from University of Missouri and a master’s in communications from the American University.
Kathleen Featheringham VP, AI, Maximus
Kathleen Featheringham
- VP, AI
- Maximus
Kathleen Featheringham is a leader focused on large scale responsible technology transformation for our client’s most critical and sensitive mission areas. She is leading the development and expansion of Maximus’ AI and Advanced Analytics portfolio within Federal Technology Consulting Services. An expert in AI, data science, strategy, and change management, Kathleen has more than 20 years of experience working with clients across the Federal Government.

She focuses on the convergence of mission and AI with a special emphasis on the human elements of adoption. This includes working with organizations on responsibly thinking about data as an asset, the evolution of the technical architecture to eliminate continual redesign, the evolution of human roles to allow more time for critical thinking and building ethical AI controls and measures into the fabric of an organization.

Prior to joining Maximus, she served as a Director at Booz Allen Hamilton leading highly technical cross-functional teams through transformation. She established and scaled Booz Allen’s AI strategy and training capabilities, that center on empowering organizations to grow their ability to harness analytics for data-driven decision making. She was a founding member of the team that developed Booz Allen’s award-winning Data Science 5K Challenge program, which focused on upskilling the firm’s data science workforce to help clients use data in new ways. Booz Allen’s artificial intelligence (AI) practice. Kathleen led the development of the firm’s AI governance and risk management procedures and operating practices as a part of the development of Booz Allen’s Responsible AI efforts.

Kathleen has an M.S. in intelligence analysis from Mercyhurst College and a B.S. in business administration from Georgetown University. She holds a Change Management Advanced Practitioner certification from Georgetown and a Psychology of Leadership graduate certificate from Cornell University.
Jaime Fitzgibbon AI/ML Program Manager, DIU
Jaime Fitzgibbon
- AI/ML Program Manager
- DIU
Ms. Fitzgibbon serves as a Program Manager for the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) portfolio. She runs AI-centered prototypes of commercially proven solutions with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Intelligence Community (IC) mission users to accelerate emerging technology adoption for operational needs. Ms. Fitzgibbon also serves as DIU’s Liaison Officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Prior to joining DIU, Ms. Fitzgibbon’s experience spanned leadership roles across senior product management, program management, and customer success as well as technology scouting across Silicon Valley, DC and Europe. She has coached start-ups on product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, pricing models and product scaling within the US (commercial and government deployments). In addition to Ms. Fitzgibbon’s private sector experience, she served as a Deputy Director within the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) at the Department of State, African policy lead within the United States Senate and a High School French Teacher. She holds both a Master’s of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in French Education.
Mark Kitz PEO, Army PEO C3N
Mark Kitz
- PEO
- Army PEO C3N
As the Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T), Mr. Mark C. Kitz guides a workforce of more than 1,600 personnel who acquire, field and support the communications networks, radios, satellite systems and other hardware and software Soldiers require for information dominance on the battlefield. Mr. Kitz took command of PEO C3T in June 2023.