Snapping In (Part 1)

In this episode of Phoenix Cast, hosts John, Rich, and Kyle come back to the Every Marine an AI Rifleman idea and finally answer the fair criticism they got the first time around: cool, but how? Kyle lays out five moves he thinks the Marine Corps could pull off in a single month (words, tools, training, trainers, and leaders), starting with a scrappy, heavily versioned pub that actually defines what an agent is, and a prompt library bolted straight onto GenAI.mil. Rich pushes back on where ontology ends and proficiency standards begin, and the three of them get into what AI marksmanship levels would really look like, from the human machine team all the way up to humans running machines that run other machines. Kyle then adds a sixth move, giving all of it an institutional home at TECOM, because right now the best AI training in the Corps lives wherever it happens to get built. If you have ever been the one person in your unit everybody goes to for the AI answer, this one is for you.We'd love to hear your thoughts! Tweet us @ThePhoenixCast, and don't forget to join our LinkedIn Group to connect with fellow Phoenix Casters. If you enjoyed the episode, help us out by leaving one of those coveted 5-star reviews on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening!Links:Agentic AI Commanders Course (MCIC pilot course video on DVIDS):https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1016695/agentic-ai-commanders-courseEvery Marine an AI Rifleman (the previous episode this one builds on):https://open.spotify.com/episode/3vRBJMgTBQNnp0uebmkzEuGenAI.mil platform launch announcement (DoW R&E):https://www.cto.mil/the-war-department-unleashes-ai-on-new-genai-mil-platform/Maven Smart System explainer (CSIS):https://www.csis.org/analysis/what-maven-smart-system-and-what-does-it-doWest Point library prompting guide (CLEAR and COSTAR frameworks):https://guides.library.westpoint.edu/GenAI/promptingCynefin framework (The Cynefin Co):https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework/Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741805/co-intelligence-by-ethan-mollick/Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI by Ethan Mollick (out 20 Oct 2026):https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/813026/co-existence-by-ethan-mollick/One Useful Thing, Ethan Mollick’s newsletter:https://www.oneusefulthing.org/Commandant’s Professional Reading List:https://www.usmcu.edu/Home/CMC-Reading-List/Marine Corps Software Factory:https://www.information.marines.mil/Units/Marine-Corps-Software-Factory/