The Augmented Planning and Execution Summit brought together more than 70 leaders, including seven division chiefs and component representatives, to examine how AI could accelerate warfighting readiness and make planning more agile across the command.

The event focused on using AI to support development of the 2026 Coordinated Campaign Order, with machine tools helping to streamline complex planning across USSPACECOM and its components while keeping humans responsible for decisions.

"The summit addressed two critical goals: refining our approach to human - machine teaming for the USSPACECOM J35 integrated campaign order and establishing a governance model for the responsible incorporation of artificial intelligence into operational planning," said Genna Ibsen, supervisory program analyst, USSPACECOM J3.

During the summit, each USSPACECOM joint directorate and component command received five campaign objectives and command guidance to align efforts and produce strategic contributions for the campaign order.

Teams compiled procedural documents, doctrine, references, and manuals so that AI systems would work from relevant and accurate inputs, and staff members then verified the AI-generated outputs in a process Ibsen described as "AI generated, human curated."

Participants were organized into four teams and used three different AI tools to assess planning processes and workflows.

"By design, teams used one AI tool on the first day and then transitioned to a different tool on the second. This deliberate rotation exposed participants to contrasting prompting methods-structured campaign-order prompts, self-directed exploration, and engineer-guided collaboration-while also leveraging a large language model to synthesize insights. The two-day approach deepened the AI experience, allowing participants to compare outcomes, refine directives, and unlock richer operational futures aligned with the command's strategy," Ibsen said. "The process ensured that outputs emerging from the summit were not only innovative but also operationally relevant."

The tailored AI applications helped teams extract strategic insights, combine human judgment with machine-generated analysis, and test assumptions about future operations in support of mission-ready directives and the command's AI strategy.

Each team worked under a distinct strategic lens: USSPACECOM as a supporting command, USSPACECOM as a supported command, multinational collaboration under Operation OLYMPIC DEFENDER, and a Nexus lens focused on joint work across space, cyber, and special operations.

"We specifically created four lenses with which to examine our Campaign requirements and generate a high number of options with different perspectives. APEX required the teams to produce a tentative concept of operations and scheme of maneuver that captured required campaigning activities to achieve success through the specific lens," said Col. John Gibson, USSPACECOM J35 Future Operations.

He noted that the group working under the lens of USSPACECOM as a supported command generated the largest set of options for how the Joint Force could support the command's mission, and that bringing components, staff, and AI tools together in one place changed how participants viewed collaboration.

"Getting the components, staff members, and AI tools to work in the same room provided us with an interesting perspective and built new relationships. Everyone walked away with a better appreciation for our operational challenges, while learning more about how to re-imagine collaboration within the command," Gibson said.

Earlier in 2025, USSPACECOM adopted its first AI, machine learning, and data analytics strategy and began applying it across priority mission areas that include integrated space fires, command and control, modernized electronic warfare architecture, enhanced battlespace awareness, space systems cyber defense, and sustainment and logistics.

Gen. Stephen Whiting, USSPACECOM commander, wrote, "This AI strategy is necessary for our Combatant Command to quickly and effectively adapt to what is emerging as an era-defining technology that demonstrates significant and growing relevance to national security ... We must lead the way in ensuring a safe and secure space domain for our nation, our Allies and Partners, and the rest of the world."

The summit showed how USSPACECOM is beginning to use AI to support rapid senior-level decision-making, and inputs from the APEX Summit will feed into the 2026 Coordinated Campaign Order as the command refines how it integrates AI into its processes to improve decision-making, operational efficiency, and mission outcomes.

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