How should we use AI to to benefit our military & veteran community?

I would use it to make war obsolete. There are reasons for war, and most of those are still the same: resources, territory, land, water, oil, rare earths...ego and religion- perhaps an AI driven study of History, War, and intelligent use of resources could lead to removing all but the existential reasons for war. The Human Psyche demands domination...maybe an AI could modify that. I know it is a pipe dream...but An AI has access to a much bigger set of brains than I have...and If I can imagine it...maybe it can too.

RallyPoint is a specialized professional and social network (often described as "LinkedIn for the military") designed for current U.S. service members, veterans, and their families. It has nearly 2 million members and focuses on secure, verified connections based on military service, units, deployments, and shared experiences. Key features include: Peer-to-peer mentorship and advice
Networking and reconnecting with old comrades.

Discussion forums on military life, career transitions, education, and personal topics
Job placement and career tools (especially for transitioning to civilian roles)
Sharing stories, photos, and updates in a trusted environment

AI can significantly enhance the user experience on a platform like RallyPoint by making it more personalized, efficient, supportive, and engaging—while respecting the community's emphasis on trust, privacy, and military-specific needs. Here are several practical ways AI could improve it:

1. Advanced Personalized Recommendations AI-powered recommendation engines (similar to those already piloted with Amazon Personalize) can suggest more relevant connections, jobs, and content. For example: Matching users with mentors based on rank, MOS/AFSC/rate, deployment history, career stage, and shared challenges (e.g., recommending a veteran who successfully transitioned from infantry to tech sales to someone in a similar position).

Surfacing tailored job listings by translating military experience into civilian equivalents and prioritizing military-friendly employers.

Suggesting relevant discussions, groups, or Q&A threads based on a user's profile and activity.

This has already shown results like 35% better engagement in career recommendations in past collaborations.

2. Smarter Search and Discovery Natural language search that understands military jargon (e.g., "PCS to Fort Bragg advice" or " transitioning 11B to civilian LE jobs") and returns precise results from discussions, profiles, or resources. AI-driven unit or buddy finder that goes beyond basic filters to suggest reconnections using semantic similarity in service histories or geographic locations.

3. Content Moderation and Community Health AI tools to detect toxic behavior, misinformation, or sensitive topics (e.g., mental health crises) while preserving open discussion.

Automated flagging of posts needing moderator review, or gentle nudges toward resources like VA support when certain keywords appear.

4. Enhanced Support and Mental Health Features AI chatbots or virtual assistants for initial, non-clinical support—offering quick answers on benefits, GI Bill questions, or transition checklists, then seamlessly escalating to human peers or professionals.

Sentiment analysis on posts/comments to proactively identify users who might benefit from connecting with peer counselors or support groups.

5. Personalized Feed and Engagement: A smarter newsfeed that prioritizes high-value content like timely advice from verified peers, rather than just chronological posts.

AI-generated summaries of long discussion threads or "trending in your unit/branch" highlights to help busy users stay informed.

6. Career and Transition Tools: Resume builders or profile enhancers that use AI to automatically translate military accomplishments into civilian-friendly language.

Predictive analytics for career paths, suggesting next steps (e.g., certifications, education) based on successful transitions of similar profiles.

7. Accessibility and Inclusivity: Real-time captioning/transcription for shared videos or live events.
AI-powered translation for discussions involving international allies or non-native English speakers in the community.

RallyPoint has already explored AI in areas like job personalization (via AWS partnerships) and marketing/outreach (via Zeta Global in 2024), showing the platform is open to these integrations.

Future enhancements would need to prioritize data privacy, avoid over-automation of human peer connections, and maintain the verified, military-only trust that defines the network. Overall, AI's biggest value lies in amplifying RallyPoint's core strength—peer-driven support—by surfacing the right people, opportunities, and information at the right time, making the military community's "lifetime journey" smoother and more connected.

After twenty years in uniform and another twenty in cybersecurity, I look at AI the same way I looked at any new tool in the Army. If it helps the mission, reduces friction, and gives people time back, we should use it. If it creates more work or confusion, we should leave it alone.

For quality of life, AI can take a lot of the administrative burden off service members. Scheduling, medical appointments, PCS planning, benefits navigation, and all the other tasks that eat up hours can be handled in minutes. That means more time for training, family, and recovery.

For career success, AI can help troops translate their military experience into civilian language, build resumes, prepare for interviews, and explore career paths they may not have considered. A lot of veterans do not struggle because of a lack of skill. They struggle because they do not know how to communicate what they already bring to the table. AI can bridge that gap. (FYI the resume's coming out of TAP are a travesty).

For the force, AI can support training, planning, maintenance forecasting, and knowledge retention. It will NOT replace leadership or experience, but it can make leaders more informed and Soldiers more prepared.

The key is simple. Use AI as you would any other tool; to remove friction, not add to it. Use it to make life easier, not harder. If it improves readiness, reduces stress, and helps service members and veterans navigate their careers and benefits with less frustration, then it is worth using. The human element still matters most. AI is just another tool to help us take care of people and accomplish the mission.