Michigan Air National Guard reduced training time from weeks to days with mixed reality and Microsoft Azure innovations

Innovation is essential for maintaining modern military forces. General Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has a long-standing motto for the US military: Accelerate, Change, or Lose.^[1] The Michigan Air National Guard (MI ANG) contributes to the innovation mission of the US Air Force (USAF) through education and experimentation at its Kelly Johnson Joint All-Domain Innovation Center (KJJADIC). Accordingly, KJJADIC operationalizes innovation for Headquarters Air Force, the Air National Guard, and two innovation-focused programs for Airmen—AFWERX and ARCWERX—at the National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC) in Michigan. 

KJJADIC and MI ANG use strategic industry partnerships to identify and develop emerging technologies for military applications. In collaboration with Microsoft, the MI ANG has invested in digital training and communication solutions promoting force agility and speed while creating an innovation blueprint for others. 

Empowering USAF to enhance capabilities through innovation

The MI ANG comprises 2,500 ready Airmen performing multidomain global operations, safeguarding the homeland, and supporting Michigan communities. KJJADIC was established in 2020 to educate tomorrow’s senior military leaders and Airmen about the role of innovation via creative problem-solving to help the US military adapt to evolving challenges and the Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition.

USAF is focused on staying agile and adaptable as the US military grapples with a smaller global footprint, increasing and changing adversarial threats, and limited resources. “Our challenge set in recent years is how do we as USAF become better at Agile Combat Employment (ACE),” says Colonel Michael Whitefoot, Executive Director of Strategy and Operational Innovation of KJJADIC. “USAF is learning to be more flexible and rely on smaller teams in mobilizations and forward-operating environments.”

Even while relying on smaller teams, USAF deployed forces must accomplish the same types of missions and keep personnel and aircraft safe and secure. Airmen need to be prepared to perform tasks in more than one specialty, an ACE-related initiative called Multi-Capable Airmen (MCA). KJJADIC and the MI ANG are exploring how cloud and AI solutions can support innovation and accelerate training for these new capabilities.

Accelerating training from weeks to days

In 2022, the MI ANG began collaborating with Microsoft to incorporate mixed reality and cloud-based communications built on Microsoft Azure to support the ACE MCA initiative. As an initial test case, an Airman conducting a routine hot-brake inspection in the field donned a Microsoft HoloLens virtual-reality headset, which uses Microsoft Teams, Dynamics 365 Guides, and Azure Stack Edge. Through the headset, the Airman was connected to diagrams, technical information, and more experienced personnel who could guide the inspection of an A-10C aircraft from another location. In this way, Airmen with less experience accomplished the same mission-essential tasks and operations as those with more field time, thereby increasing the team’s overall capabilities in the field.

Based on the success of this initial test during the Northern Agility exercise, the MI ANG is expanding the use of this mixed-reality technology, helping its aircrews conduct maintenance repair operations in the field without sacrificing safety. With mixed-reality solutions, trainers and Airmen can view equipment from different angles and carry out high-risk procedures without the real-life risks of heat and exhaust exposure or accidentally breaking delicate components. “We’re developing a better way to train our people with no shortcuts taken from a safety perspective; we’re doing things responsibly,” says Whitefoot.

The collaboration between the MI ANG and Microsoft has been mutually beneficial, as the MI ANG can adapt emerging technology to the military’s unique needs, and Microsoft can test its technology in the field at Michigan’s NADWC. “Our partners understand the complexity of military operations, so we’re able to train our Airmen faster, saving us time and money,” says Whitefoot. “For example, it normally would take several weeks of training and experience for an Airman to perform sophisticated A-10C fighter aircraft maintenance tasks. In some cases, we can now train someone in days.”

Facilitating real-time decision-making with mixed-reality technology

KJJADIC leadership places a high value on education as the foundation for developing innovative solutions that operationalize innovation, such as the mixed-reality headset. The center offers a certified graduate-level program known as AIM-HI—which stands for Academic, Industry, Military-Hybrid Innovations—that combines academics with hands-on experience, and KJJADIC fosters strategic relationships with industry partners to develop solutions jointly. “Innovation isn’t just technology, but our end solutions often have some technology component,” says Whitefoot. “We like to identify dual-use capabilities or emerging technologies that we can adapt to our needs.”

These technological innovations also advance better decision-making because US military leaders can more accurately assess threats and track assets in near real time from forces worldwide. “Before, we would have puzzle pieces in disparate systems,” says Whitefoot. “The capabilities Microsoft has brought forward are consolidating the information senior leaders need for decision-making, and we can communicate that via Microsoft Teams and into augmented reality.”

The next field test with Microsoft technology revolves around maintaining secure collaboration between forward-deployed troops and their senior leadership. With just a laptop or mobile device, senior leaders can share the observations of Airmen and Soldiers in the field and support decision-making in real time.

Preparing for the military of tomorrow, today

The MI ANG continues advancing technology to support ACE MCA applications, providing trained, USAF-ready Airmen to support global operations. Its KJJADIC is committed to contributing to the Air Force’s ability to address modern challenges and maintain readiness. Its collaboration with Microsoft has drawn the attention of high-level officers throughout the Department of Defense. In 2022, KJJADIC received the General Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award for the Air National Guard, its highest innovation award. KJJADIC views its network of industry partners as the key to its success.

“This is not just a partnership between the MI ANG and Microsoft; it’s more of a family of trusted, strategic stakeholders,” says Whitefoot. “It has been successful because we’re building a larger team of like-minded professionals and trusted colleagues to support the US military.”

^[1] Gordon, Chris. “Brown’s First Message to the Force as Chairman: ‘Accelerate Change’ Lives On.” Air & Space Forces Magazine, October 2, 2023. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/brown-first-message-chairman-accelerate-change/.