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USAFRICOM Successfully Tests AI-Powered Personnel System During Continuity of Operations Exercise

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) personnel utilize a new AI driven PowerApp prototype. The innovative new technology allows AFRICOM to track and maintain situational awareness of geographically dispersed personnel across myriad agencies, leveraging AI for rapid personnel accountability and resource allocation.

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Photo by: U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs 

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USAFRICOM Successfully Tests AI-Powered Personnel System During Continuity of Operations Exercise

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) personnel utilize a new AI driven PowerApp prototype during a recent continuity of operations (COOP) tabletop exercise. The innovative new technology allows AFRICOM to track and maintain situational awareness of geographically dispersed personnel across myriad agencies, leveraging AI for rapid personnel accountability and resource allocation.

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Photo by: U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs 

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) recently completed a successful Continuity of Operations (COOP) exercise, significantly bolstered by a use of an emerging artificial intelligence (AI) PowerApp capability designed to enhance efficiency with human resources management. The PowerApp demonstration showcased how AFRICOM can track and maintain situational awareness of geographically dispersed personnel across myriad agencies to maintain critical functions and operational readiness under challenging circumstances, leveraging AI for rapid personnel accountability and resource allocation.

The COOP exercise simulated a disruption to normal operations, requiring AFRICOM to quickly assess personnel status and maintain command and control across the African continent. The AI tool, established through a collaboration between the AFRICOM J8 Resources and Assessments, J6 C4S (Command, Control, Communication and Computer Systems), and J1 Manpower and Personnel directorates, proved instrumental in this effort.

This system extracts and consolidates human resources data from multiple sources into a refined AFRICOM Data Environment (ADE), providing an unprecedented, real-time view of personnel supporting the command – both at the headquarters and dispersed across the African continent. During the exercise, this capability allowed AFRICOM to swiftly identify available personnel, assess skillsets, and re-allocate resources to maintain essential functions despite the simulated disruption.

“Working with a contract partner, we developed the tool and demonstrated its capabilities during the COOP exercise, validating the critical role AI can play in our ability to continue operations even in the face of adversity,” said Col. Scott Johnson, AFRICOM Director of Manpower and Personnel. “The speed and accuracy with which we were able to account for and redeploy personnel was a direct result of this technology.”

The AI PowerApp tool is the result of an increased focus on innovation at AFRICOM and recent call for AI solutions by the DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) AI Rapid Capabilities Cell (AI RCC). AFRICOM’s J1 directorate submitted a proposal in January 2025 and has been working with the CDAO on funding solutions.

AFRICOM is the first Combatant Command (COCOM) to prototype such a transformative tool, underscoring its commitment to embracing cutting-edge technology and aligning with the National Defense Strategy and DoD’s Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiative. The successful COOP exercise demonstrates the practical application of this technology, paving the way for substantial cost savings and increased efficiency in the long term.

This AI-powered personnel system has the ability to not only enhance AFRICOM’s daily operations but also solidify its ability to maintain a strategic edge and fulfill its vital mission in Africa’s complex environment, even during times of crisis.