A Hawaii Air National Guard air battle manager received a first-of-its-kind award on October 1, at Wheeler Army Airfield, naming him a career-field champion within a new electronic training platform.

1s Lt. Sheldon Lee, from the 169th Air Defense Squadron, partook in a ‘Top Scope’ competition alongside air battle managers from all U.S. Air Force air defense sectors this past summer, administered through an artificial intelligence-based training software.

The Battle Management Training NEXT platform serves as a real-time battle space simulator, allowing operators to play out realistic air battles and perform their job as though it were a videogame.

Comparable to an Esports event, each contestant’s actions are rewarded and penalized through a live point system, measured by the operator’s ability to support command and control during a simulated air-to-air engagement.

Chief Master Sgt. Bradley Spencer, 169th ADS senior enlisted leader, presented the award to Lee during the unit’s monthly drill. According to Spencer, Lee’s performance and contributions as a team player ensured that the Pacific Air Defense Sector also took home first place, beating regional competitors by an extensive margin.

Air defense professionals such as Lee are responsible for monitoring vast amounts of radar data on a 24/7 basis. In addition, they utilize strategy and experience with aircraft, weapons and surveillance systems to ensure friendly forces have every possible advantage in a potential conflict.

Top Scope contestants were evaluated through machine learning, biometric input, natural-language-processing capabilities and communication efficiency.

The skills and scenarios that are portrayed within real-world and computer-generated flights are designed to be interchangeable while testing the operator’s ability to digest the most critical information.

“We pick out the most relevant data and give pilots exactly what they need to know,” said Lee. “That way, we can maximize their situational awareness without making them feel overwhelmed; and that’s how we ensure they’re always in the best position to accomplish their mission.”

Lee earned his ‘wings,’ or aeronautical rating, as a fully qualified air battle manager before the BMNT rolled out as a training tool last year. As a practitioner of both conventional and computer-generated training methods, he has developed an appreciation for all practices that helps him and his peers improve their battle management intuition.

“One of the coolest parts about the trainer is being able to rewatch the scenario you just played out,” said Lee. “You get an exact playback of your performance with timestamps. It gives you everything you need to cross reference it to what other actions could have been better.”

Outside the scope of the competition, the AI trainer serves a higher purpose than tallying up high scores and meriting bragging rights. Skills and competencies that the BMTN fortifies are applied daily to support Operation Noble Eagle, a Homeland Defense mission that was stood up after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Since then, regional air battle control centers have remained online permanently, keeping eyes on aircraft and airborne objects that may threaten U.S. airspace.

Upon indication of a rogue aircraft, air battle managers have the means to analyze and matriculate all relevant information up the chain of command, where the decision is made to scramble armed weapon systems to intercept the aerial threat – a process that can also be replicated using the AI training system.

Lee’s area of responsibility falls under the 298th Air Defense Group, postured as the primary organization that tracks potential threats within the Hawaii and Guam Air Defense Regions.

Under peacetime conditions, 298th ADG personnel also provide support for daily training flights at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, primarily focused on enhancing mission readiness for the Hawaii ANG’s fifth-generation aircraft and several other weapon systems.