Attendees at AFIT’s inaugural Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Challenge Workshop (A3ICWMDCW).
(U.S. Air Force photo by Dr. Christina Dugan)

The Air Force Institute of Technology’s Nuclear Expertise for Advancing Technologies (NEAT) Center and AFIT’s Artificial Intelligence Technology Research and Education Consortium (AI TREC) co-hosted the inaugural two-day Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Challenge Workshop (A3ICWMDCW) in August of 2025. 

The workshop was presented to 43 registered participants, both in-person and via Teams. Participants represented various organizations such as the Department of the Air Force (DAF), U.S. Army, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and the Department of Homeland Security. Day one of the workshop kicked off with a welcome from AFIT Deputy Director and Air University Detachment 1 Commander, Lt. Col. James Bowers. 

Dr. Steven “Cap” Rogers, DAF Senior Scientist for AI Enabled Autonomy and senior technical advisor for the Autonomy Capabilities Team 3 (ACT3), presented a fascinating talk on “Current Trends in AI,” setting the scene and sparking conversations. 

Retired U.S. Army Col. Barry Lowe from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) CWMD and Counter-Threat Integration Division spoke about the Task Force McCall mission he commanded when he was assigned to the Army’s 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Command to safely remove 550 metric tons of yellow cake uranium from Iraq in 2008.

Dr. Jeremy Slagley, AFIT associate professor, serves as the director for AFIT’s distance learning CWMD Graduate Certificate program, which co-sponsored the event.  

“We see special emphasis on incorporating AI into all aspects of our Department of War mission – straight from the Secretary of War. This workshop brought together AI and CWMD experts from across agencies to brainstorm opportunities and weaknesses that we need to consider.  

The networking that took place at the workshop is also a key component to establish lines of effort to get after some of the applications. We look forward to hosting annual workshops,” said Slagely.

Participants then broke into teams by agent to discuss challenges posed by AI, as well as areas where AI could help counter weapons of mass destruction. Event organizers received positive workshop feedback, with attendees advocating for extended workshop time in 2026. 

Details on the upcoming 2026 CWMD Challenge Workshop will be shared with potential participants as soon as they are available. 

Learn more about AFIT’s NEAT Center at https://www.AFIT.edu/NEAT and AFIT’s AI Consortium (AI TREC) by visiting https://www.AFIT.edu/AITREC.

The Graduate School of Engineering and Management (GSEM) provides in-residence and distance learning graduate degrees and certificates in engineering, applied science, mathematics and management. GSEM provides its students with several significant advantages, including a more personalized educational experience, academic programs with a defense-related focus, and research on high-priority defense problems.  

ABOUT AFIT
AFIT is located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. AFIT’s mission is to educate defense professionals to innovatively accomplish the deterrence and warfighting missions of the USAF and USSF. AFIT’s vision is to lead defense-focused education, research and consultation to accelerate military superiority across all domains and is accomplished through operationally relevant advanced academic education, research, and professional continuing education. For more information, please visit the AFIT webpage https://www.AFIT.edu/ or contact the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at AFIT.EN.Outreach@us.af.mil.