Military logistics is an incredibly complex task, requiring the coordination of millions of people, equipment, and resources across the globe. The United States Department of Defense, with the largest military budget on the planet, faces the monumental challenge of organizing and executing logistical operations daily, often in scenarios that may be subject to unforeseen events, such as natural disasters or conflicts with adversaries. To address these challenges, Virginia-based startup Defcon AI has raised $44 million in an initial funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from Fifth Growth Fund and Red Cell Partners, among others.
Defcon AI's Vision for Military Logistics
Defcon AI, founded in 2022, has developed specialized software for logistical planning that allows military operators to set key parameters, such as aircraft availability, required crew numbers, crew rest locations, refueling points, and more. Based on this data, the software automatically generates the best logistical plan, optimizing factors like costs, resource requirements, and schedules. This capability is crucial in crisis situations where operators do not have much time to make decisions.
Paul Selva, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Defcon AI, is a military veteran with a distinguished career in the United States Air Force, where he held key roles such as commander of the Air Mobility Command and the United States Transportation Command, before retiring as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2019. Selva explains that Defcon AI was born because the Air Mobility Command expressed a need for a solution that the industry was not offering. After analyzing the problem, Selva and his co-founders, Yisroel Brumer and Grant Verstandig, concluded that the solution was possible from a mathematical and software perspective but required a different approach.
Expansion and Future Applications
Defcon AI has already secured around $15 million in government contracts and delivered a version of its software that was used in a real-world operation with the Air Mobility Command. The company is currently in the process of certifying its software to handle classified and secret information, which will expand its applications within the Department of Defense (DOD) and allow for even more data integration into its algorithms. Additionally, Defcon AI is expanding its software to include the planning and simulation of operations involving trucks, trains, and ships.
The future of Defcon AI is not limited to the military sector. According to Brumer, co-founder of the company, they are also seeing strong demand from the private sector, suggesting that their software has the potential to transform logistics across various industries. The company firmly believes that working closely with end-users, in this case, operational planners, will result in a more effective product and a genuine competitive advantage in adversarial situations.
Selva highlights the importance of this collaboration, noting that operational planners are possibly the most skeptical audience regarding decision-support tools. However, by partnering with them, Defcon AI aims to achieve more effective outcomes, helping commanders assess risks and make informed decisions in times of uncertainty.