Oklahoma Guardsman Harnesses AI to Save Thousands of Hours of Work > National Guard > Article View
Oklahoma Guardsman Harnesses AI to Save Thousands of Hours of Work > National Guard > Article View
Publish Date: 2026-06-17 16:15:00
Source Domain: www.nationalguard.mil
OKLAHOMA CITY – A groundbreaking new artificial intelligence tool developed by an Oklahoma Army National Guard Soldier is set to transform the way the state processes military awards, potentially saving administrative staff more than 61,000 hours of paperwork and allowing them to focus more on supporting Soldiers and mission readiness.
Staff Sgt. Herbert Hailey, an information technology specialist assigned to the Oklahoma Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion, developed the tool after being asked by his battalion’s personnel officer to streamline the process of identifying Guardsmen eligible for time-in-service awards.
The traditional awards process requires administrative personnel to manually review each Soldier’s NGB-23A retirement points record, evaluate service history and calculate years of qualifying service.
Drawing on skills gained during a specialized Oklahoma Army National Guard-hosted artificial intelligence and data training course delivered by Skillquest, Hailey used advanced prompting within the Army Vantage platform to develop an AI-powered widget that automates much of that work.
At launch, the widget processes data to determine eligibility for the Oklahoma Good Conduct Medal, with plans to expand its capabilities to include the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Oklahoma Long Service Ribbon.
“Our priority is taking care of Soldiers,” said Sgt. Lorelei Hubbard, an administrative noncommissioned officer in the Oklahoma Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion. “But manual record scrubs for awards like the Oklahoma Good Conduct Medal can take hours per Soldier. This widget represents a massive leap forward in our administrative capabilities. Ultimately, it ensures our Soldiers receive the accurate, hard-earned recognition they deserve.”
Hailey said his development of the awards widget is not just…
