USSPACECOM's First AI-Enabled APEX Summit: Operational Lessons You Can Use Now
News | Dec. 30, 2025
U.S. Space Command's Joint Operations Division ran its first AI-enabled Augmented Planning and Execution (APEX) Summit Nov. 18-21, 2025, across the Bayfield facility and the MITRE facility. More than 70 leaders, including seven division chiefs and component leaders, met to tighten planning cycles and produce inputs for the 2026 Coordinated Campaign Order.
The mandate was clear: speed up decision cycles, improve signal-to-noise, and prove AI can add value without adding risk. The result was a working model for human-machine teaming, a governance approach for responsible AI in operations, and validated outputs that staff can use now.
What actually happened
The summit tackled two targets: improve human-machine teaming for the J35 integrated campaign order and set a governance model for responsible AI in operational planning. "AI generated, human curated," said Genna Ibsen, supervisory program analyst, USSPACECOM J3, summarizing the approach.
Each joint directorate and component command received five campaign objectives and command guidance. Teams curated source material-procedures, doctrine, references, manuals-so the models worked from verified inputs. Staff then validated outputs before anything moved forward.
Participants split into four teams and rotated across three AI tools. Day one used one tool; day two, a different tool-by design. Teams experienced structured prompts, self-directed exploration, and engineer-guided collaboration, with a large language model synthesizing the insights. The rotation let them compare outcomes and tighten directives.
The four "lenses" that drove better options
- USSPACECOM as a supporting command
- USSPACECOM as a supported command
- Multinational Force Operation OLYMPIC DEFENDER collaboration
- Nexus: Space, Cyber, and Special Operations collaboration
"We created four lenses to generate a high volume of options from different perspectives," said Col. John Gibson, USSPACECOM J35 Future Operations. The "supported command" lens produced the most actionable options for how the Joint Force can back the mission.
Bringing components, staff, and AI tools into the same room clarified friction points and created new working ties. "Everyone walked away with a better appreciation for our operational challenges-and how to re-imagine collaboration," Gibson said.
Why this matters for operations leaders
- Governance first: define where AI plays, how it's supervised, and who signs off. Then scale.
- Curate your corpus: feed models with vetted SOPs, doctrine, and references. Quality in, quality out.
- Rotate tools and methods: compare outputs across prompting styles and platforms before standardizing.
- Frame with lenses: examine the same mission through multiple roles and partnerships to find blind spots.
- Keep humans in the loop: AI drafts, operators verify, leadership decides. Clear handoffs, clear accountability.
- Tie outputs to orders: require every AI-assisted product to trace back to objectives, constraints, and measures.
- Make learning visible: capture prompts, inputs, and decisions so teams can reproduce what works.
Process highlights you can replicate
- Start with objectives and command guidance. Don't let tools set the agenda.
- Establish "approved sources" and lock model access to that set for planning tasks.
- Run two-day sprints: day 1 with Tool A, day 2 with Tool B. Compare for consistency and clarity.
- Use scenario lenses to force diverse options: supported, supporting, partner-led, and cross-domain.
- Standardize outputs (CONOPS, scheme of maneuver, risks, dependencies, decision points).
- Assign roles: prompt owner, intel/reference lead, validator, and decision brief owner.
- Log decisions and rationale. Treat prompts and datasets like configuration items.
Strategic context
In March, USSPACECOM signed its first AI/Machine Learning and Data Analytics Strategy and is putting it to work across integrated space fires, command and control, agile electronic warfare, battlespace awareness, space systems cyber defense, and sustainment and logistics. Gen. Stephen Whiting 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 APEX Summit showed one path to faster senior-level decisions. Inputs from the event will shape the 2026 Coordinated Campaign Order, while the command refines how AI supports planning and execution with the Joint Force, allies, and partners.
If you're building similar capability
- Adopt a risk framework early. The NIST AI Risk Management Framework is a solid starting point for controls, oversight, and monitoring.
- Upskill your operators and planners on prompts, verification, and workflows. See courses by role at Complete AI Training.
Key quotes to take back to your team
"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. On the workflow: "AI generated, human curated."
Col. John Gibson on outcomes: "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."
Bottom line for operations: define the work, curate the data, rotate tools, and keep humans accountable. That's how AI improves planning without adding chaos.
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