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The way the military sustains its forces in conflict needs to change.
That reality framed the Contested Logistics panel at Apex Defense 2026, the dynamic defense technology event that unites warfighters, acquisition professionals, startups, investors, and industry leaders to tackle operational challenges “from the seabed to space”. Gallatin AI CEO Woody Glier took the stage alongside Brigadier General Tara Nolan of Air Forces Southern, Brigadier General James "Geoff" Kent of Army Materiel Command, and representatives from Rune Technologies and Poseidon Aerospace. The conversation moved quickly past whether military logistics needs to change and into how.
Clean Data Is the Foundation, and We Don't Have It
The panel kept returning to a hard truth: the most sophisticated planning tools in the world are useless without clean data feeding them. Service members in high-tempo environments are already stretched thin across a dozen tasks, and getting accurate supply data into the system remains an unglamorous, underfunded, and enduring problem. Yet every downstream logistics decision depends on it.
This is core to why Gallatin AI built Navigator. Navigator normalizes supply data in various forms, whether that is a LOGSTAT, a JBC-P message, an embedded sensor, or a manual entry. Rather than demanding perfect inputs, Navigator creates a unified picture from imperfect ones, flagging anomalies, and filling gaps so that logisticians can focus on decisions instead of data cleanup.
Decision Speed, Not Just Data Speed
The panel emphasized that today's planning processes, even when supported by clean data, are too slow for contested environments. When multiple crises compete for finite resources, commanders need an optimized set of options they can evaluate and act on immediately, not disaggregated spreadsheets and a planning meeting that lasts hours.
Navigator was designed for exactly this tempo. Its analytical engine models and predicts resupply allocations and distribution plans in advance, generating data-driven recommendations before planning sessions begin. What used to take hours of manual calculation becomes minutes, allowing logistics synchronization meetings to focus on evaluating courses of action rather than calculating basic data.
Technology Adoption Requires Deliberate Strategy
One of the panel's most important points had nothing to do with software. Advanced AI tools cannot simply be handed to warfighters and expected to deliver results. The force needs a deliberate "Train the Trainers" adoption model, one that builds genuine technology literacy at every echelon.
At Gallatin AI, we believe technology literacy means more than teaching someone to click buttons. It means ensuring our warfighters can confidently adopt and leverage the most advanced technology available. We built Navigator around the workflows logisticians already use, delivering tangible outputs like resupply orders and allocation plans rather than abstract dashboards. The result is a tool that enhances existing expertise rather than demands an entirely new way of thinking. When technology fits the operator's mental model, adoption isn't a training burden; it's a force multiplier.
Sustain at the Edge, Adapt in Real Time
The panel's vision extended beyond planning into execution. The future force needs the ability to build, repair, and sustain at the point of need, shifting from "Factory to the Foxhole" to "Factory in the Foxhole." Supply lines will be contested. Logistics nodes will be denied. The systems that support the force must adapt on the fly.
This adaptability requires technology that can pivot as quickly as the threat environment changes. When supply routes are compromised or consumption patterns spike, Navigator recalculates and presents alternative courses of action immediately. Each operation feeds back into the system, creating a closed-loop cycle where every mission makes future planning more accurate. This is logistics transformed from a reactive necessity into a proactive strategic advantage.
The Road Ahead
Apex Defense 2026 made clear that the status quo will not hold. Gallatin AI is proud to be building alongside the warfighters and leaders who are pushing the defense community to move faster.
