At this year’s AFA Air, Space & Cyber conference, Primer’s CEO, Sean Moriarty, joined executives from Boeing and Oracle to explore a critical issue shaping the future of defense: the digital enterprise.
The digital imperative: moving with speed
Sean opened the discussion by addressing the most pressing challenge facing the digital transformation of defense organizations: the need for speed.
“We have profoundly powerful technological solutions,” Moriarty said, “but the time it takes to get those capabilities into the hands of the people who need them is far too long.”
While the technology is available, accelerating its deployment to defense personnel on the ground is what truly matters. The ability to quickly deliver AI-powered solutions to those in the field can have an immediate and tangible impact on mission outcomes.
“I think the most acute problem we’re facing today is the lack of speed. It’s actually not the lack of capability.” – Sean Moriarty, Primer’s CEO
In today’s digital enterprise, speed is not just a competitive advantage– it’s an operational necessity. Advanced technologies like AI and cloud-based architectures need to be delivered in real time, especially in situations where rapid decision-making is required, often in disconnected environments. Moriarty stressed that defense organizations must adapt to the reality that “profound technological change is happening every 90 to 180 days,” rendering traditional development cycles of five to seven years obsolete.
Unlocking data to drive insights
Another key topic the panel addressed was the persistent challenge of data access. Moriarty noted that much of the DoD’s valuable data remains siloed and underutilized, with less than 5% fully accessible—creating significant barriers to decision-making. The problem isn’t just technological; it requires cultural shifts and updated policies to create a more agile, connected enterprise.
By unlocking access to data through modern AI tools, organizations can process and analyze vast amounts of structured and unstructured data in real-time. Primer’s AI capabilities allow operators to sift through enormous data sets–whether from news sources, social media, or proprietary documents–with remarkable speed and precision. This access provides critical signal in environments where time-sensitive decisions can shape the outcome of operations.
From hype to reality
Moriarty also underscored the importance of grounding AI in practical applications, pointing out that while AI holds “extraordinary potential,” its deployment often falls victim to hype. Organizations need to engage in focused experimentation, identifying tasks where AI can reduce the burden on analysts and operators. In Primer’s experience, targeting discrete, high-impact problems and deploying AI to handle routine pre-processing tasks can free up valuable time for personnel to focus on more complex decision-making.
A critical takeaway from Moriarty’s insights was the importance of right-sizing AI solutions. While large language models (LLMs) attract a lot of attention, Moriarty pointed out that smaller, context-specific models can deliver just as much power at a fraction of the cost, especially in disconnected or low-connectivity environments where large models might struggle to perform.
Looking forward: driving change
In closing, Moriarty urged organizations to focus on software-enabled processes that deliver real value to operators, empowering them to perform critical tasks faster and more efficiently.
“I think the right starting point is to look at the most critical tasks that are going on in your organization and see how much of that can actually be done in software, so that people can leverage their experience, their knowledge, and their creativity to solve the hard problems.” – Sean Moriarty, Primer’s CEO
The key takeaway? The digital enterprise is no longer a distant vision—it’s a present-day imperative. Those who embrace it with urgency and strategic foresight will lead the way in the next generation of warfare.
For Primer, this means continuing to innovate at the forefront of AI, delivering powerful, real-time insights to defense and intelligence communities.
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Thanks to moderator Maj. Gen. Kim Crider, USAF (Ret.), and panelists Peter Kunz, VP and Chief Engineer for Boeing Defense, Space & Security’s Air Dominance Division; and Mark Andress, Global VP, Defense and Intelligence, Oracle.
