I think learning about data science as a militarized tool will help people uncover how the field can be used on a technical level to defend against foreign and domestic threats. Since we have already established an adequate understanding for the foundation and purpose of data science, I think it is safe to move on to the field’s applicability in a more combative or even analytical setting to look at possible careers that stem from the program. This includes how data science can be used to prepare against threats in the geospatial world, such as tracking the location of war criminals by using refined methods that can locate terrorist bases, or something more domestic like using data science to measure the success of a business. However, I am more interested in how data science can be used on a global scale and to what extent it is being used in government affairs. The article, “The Army Needs Full-Stack Data Scientists and Analytics Translators”, discusses a non-traditional approach to how intelligence networks can be created by soldiers who have achieved the capability of using data to report on operations, such as a captured enemy and their location. These relatively new positions in the military are referred to as full-stack data scientists, meaning these specialists go beyond the statistical and analytical techniques that are necessary for the job. It also means that full-stack data scientists handle challenges that deal with data engineering and infrastructure, which is far more complex due to how demanding these tasks can be for deployed soldiers.

Article Link: https://warontherocks.com/2020/02/the-army-needs-full-stack-data-scientists-and-analytics-translators/