Tech Outlook with Jon Syverson of the Air Force Research Laboratory
Our guest on this week’s Tech Outlook podcast is Jon Syverson, the branch chief for wargaming and simulation for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate.
He works at AFRL’s Wargaming and Advanced Research Simulation Laboratory, or WARS Lab, which opened a new facility last month on Kirtland Air Force Base.
He’s lived in Albuquerque most of his life, rides motorcycles and finds inspiration from the science fiction horror movie, “The Lawnmower Man.”
We’re here because on Kirtland Air Force Base, the Wargaming and Advanced Research Simulation Laboratory, or WARS Lab opened last month. Can you just explain to us what that is and why it’s important?
“So the Joint Chiefs of Staff define Wargaming as a simulation by whatever means of military operation involving two or more opposing forces, using rules, data and procedures designed to depict an actual or assumed real life situation.
And so basically, all that means is they get a blue team together, they get a red team together, and they simulate an engagement. And basically, that’s what we do. So we take mission level threats. And we simulate engagements with future technology, to test the viability of that technology, whether or not it’s beneficial for the Air Force to help guide acquisition dollars.”
So you put together a blue team and a red team, and they basically just fight each other?
“Or play a game.”
Can you cook up an example of what’s a day like on blue team versus red team at the WARS Lab?
“Well, look at something going on in the world today. For example, if you take any of the two current conflicts going on, Russia against the Ukraine, or Israel against the Palestinians.
“So, let’s say you have a bunch of helicopters that are on the Ukraine side that are trying to go in and take out some military targets in Russia, we would simulate that. The only difference is we would be using cutting-edge technology that is off into the future, and trying to prove the viability of that.”
It’s fascinating to me that this is happening right here at a lab in Albuquerque on Kirtland Air Force Base, where you’re simulating scenarios that are affecting millions of people across the globe. What’s it like going to work and at the WARS lab?
“So back in 1990, I was one of those kids that went to see the “Lawnmower Man.” And the “Lawnmower Man” introduced virtual reality. And I remember saying, ‘I want to go to school, I want to do that. And that’s what I want to do for my career.’ And 34 years later, I’m doing it.”
At the WARS Lab, it’s all about new technologies and trying to harness those.
Can you tell us about what technologies you’re working with?
“It’s basically new applications of directed energy.
Directed energy can take the form of even something small. A flashlight is actually directed energy, or even something as large as a solar panel that captures the sunrays.
One of the things that we do is we take that type of technology, and then, of course, being the Air Force, we bend it towards military application.”
Can you just explain to us what directed energy is?
“Directed energy is basically electromagnetic energy that’s either composed of light or electromagnetic waves, and we tightly focus it and use it for military applications.”
The Air Force Research Lab’s Directed Energy Directorate is based in Albuquerque. And the Air Force, and the military in general, has said that harnessing directed energy is crucial to national security. Why is that?
“The first to the battlefield keeps the competitive edge.
So whoever gets to the battlefield first with proven directed energy technology, is going to keep that. All of the TV shows that we saw with Star Trek and Star Wars with blasters and lasers and photon torpedoes, that’s all directed energy.
And that’s where things are going into that type of technology.”
I’m thinking of college students right now? How do you introduce them to directed energy? What are these types of things that they’re studying?
“Primarily, electrical engineering is pure applications of directed energy. There’s ... electromagnetics. There’s also material science courses that come into play when you start designing lasers and such like that.
If I was trying to guide, shall we say, an up-and-coming person that was really wanting to focus on directed energy, I would steer them toward an electrical engineering type of degree.
Physics, classic physics is always good. You tend to have to push for a little higher level of degree with physics. Mathematics is always great. Because mathematics is the language that you use to explain everything.”
When it comes to directed energy and the types of technology that you’re working with on a dayto-day basis, what are the commercial applications for that? How could that be used for economic benefit?
“We actually use a lot of the current technology that’s out there, we just bend it to military applications.
So we use computers that have high levels of processing power. And banks use those and other engineering design firms use those to build bridges to build buildings, and do stress testing on their designs and thing like that.
We use virtual reality. Virtual reality is making a huge impact on the gaming market. And even on the social market, because people are climbing into the metaverse, and doing stuff like living in a virtual world when they’re not at work, that type of thing.
We also have applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning to do some of our data analysis. And, as we all know, a lot of things are starting to go that route with artificial intelligence and machine learning, because it’s a way to train a computer to analyze large datasets a lot faster. It’s not just restricted to chat GPT.”
What do you like about going to work at the WARS lab?
“Because I get to fulfill a dream that started 35 years ago when I saw ‘The Lawnmower Man.’
When I talk to my dad, and he asks, ‘Do you have to go to work tomorrow?’ And I say ‘yeah,’ he says, ‘Well, go have fun.”