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Extract from Chapter 10: Contemporary Global Food Systems as Contested Space: Implications for Special Operations Forces in the Book Strategic latency unleashed: the role of technology in a revisionist global order and the implications for special operations forces
Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven representation of food networks will only be as good as the data used to train the capabilities, making it important to deliberate on new data gathering and curation missions.
A Department of Defense (DOD)-wide standing capability that can identify geospatially events of concern related to global food systems, specifically relevant to DOD’s missions and roles, could usefully reside at the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and in the Joint Staff.
Special Operations Forces (SOF) thinking must consider outliers and black swan events in the realm of food-security disruptions to maintain competitive military advantage and possess the moral high ground for national security. It is necessary to strengthen decision-making agility in this fast-paced, disruptive, and complex technological landscape of competing values and political and national security priorities.
SOF’s new applied ethics initiative across its operational spectrum will shore up the shortcomings of DOD and US government policies and help mitigate risks.
The SOF should ensure every mission considers both vulnerabilities and potential consequences of shifts in the function of military and civilian food systems in the homeland, in theaters, or on missions as a facet of complex provisioning systems whereby power is created, maintained, and exercised.
Joseph Byrum is an accomplished executive leader, innovator, and cross-domain strategist with a proven track record of success across multiple industries. With a diverse background spanning biotech, finance, and data science, he has earned over 50 patents that have collectively generated more than $1 billion in revenue. Dr. Byrum’s groundbreaking contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the INFORMS Franz Edelman Prize and the ANA Genius Award. His vision of the “intelligent enterprise” blends his scientific expertise with business acumen to help Fortune 500 companies transform their operations through his signature approach: “Unlearn, Transform, Reinvent.” Dr. Byrum earned a PhD in genetics from Iowa State University and an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
