Event Recap: Phoenix Challenge® 2026

Last month we were proud to participate in Phoenix Challenge® 2026, a premier event hosted by The United States Department of War, Office of Information Operations Policy (OIOP). This year’s event “Information Operations: Evolving for Strategic Dominance,” brought together leaders from across government, industry, and academia for an opportunity to collaborate on some of the most pressing challenges in national security and defense innovation.

Our team was among some of the brightest minds, gathering to promote innovation and advance information operations (IO) in a collaborative forum focused on accelerating solutions that help us achieve a clear advantage in the information domain.

Leading the Conversation on IO Risk

A highlight of the event was the “Determining Acceptable Risk for IO” panel, led by our very own Chief of Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Svitlana Volkova.

Joined by experts from Arizona State University, the American Foreign Policy Council, and CACI, the panel tackled a critical question: how do organizations define, assess, and manage acceptable risk in modern information environments shaped by AI and adversarial influence?

The discussion reinforced a few important realities:

• AI is accelerating the scale and speed of influence operations, making risk harder to assess using traditional approaches
• Static models of IO are no longer sufficient in dynamic, adversarial environments
• Operators need tools to test and evaluate campaigns before deployment, not just react to outcomes

Dr. Volkova emphasized the importance of moving toward evidence-based, model-driven decision making that allows operators to test before deployment, a theme that strongly resonated with attendees.

Key Takeaways from Phoenix Challenge 2026

This essential discussion left the panel and participants with several key takeaways:

• Risk in IO must be quantifiable: Organizations are shifting toward measurable, model-driven approaches to understanding and managing risk
• Training needs to reflect real-world complexity: Adaptive, simulation-based environments are essential for preparing operators against evolving threats
• Human-machine teaming is central to IO effectiveness: The focus is on enabling collaboration between analysts and AI systems, not replacing human judgment
• Proactive evaluation is the future of IO: The ability to test campaigns before deployment is becoming a mission-critical capability
• Speed to capability matters: There is growing urgency to move innovations from concept to fielded solutions more quickly
• Urgency isn’t evenly distributed: While US-based discussions often center on future capability, partners in Europe and regions closer to active conflict are focused on immediate operational needs
• Supporting our allies: We need to avoid committing information fracture — our messaging can’t conflict with what other friendly messaging is saying 
• Decision advantage is the differentiator: Technologies that improve how quickly and accurately decisions are made are central to mission success

Aptima Tech Is Shaping the Future of IO

This year’s Phoenix Challenge marked an important step in advancing the conversation around risk, AI, and IO. For Aptima, it was an opportunity not only to share our perspective, but to demonstrate how we are actively translating these ideas into real-world capability.

We are proud to address some of the most pressing IO challenges through operational human-centered AI technologies that are currently being integrated into Air Force and Joint training ecosystems. Our existing technology enables operators to simulate adversarial behavior, analyze population responses, and evaluate the cognitive effects of influence campaigns.

Paving the Way to a Stronger Future

Aptima’s participation in Phoenix Challenge 2026 reinforces our role as a trusted partner in advancing human-centered solutions for national security. The insights gained and connections strengthened during the event will continue to inform our work as we develop technologies that empower people to perform at their best, when it matters most.

We look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to collaborate with the broader defense community to solve the challenges of tomorrow.