Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas–Corpus Christi Army Depot’s Team CC Blue Ghost earned first place in the U.S. Army’s Vantage Edge 2: Artificial Intelligence Platform competition, outperforming 42 other teams to claim the event’s top honor.
“Innovation starts with initiative, and this team had the drive to step outside the box and create something new,” said Chief of Staff Zachary Anderson. “I’m excited to see where this incredible momentum takes us [CCAD] next.”
Vantage is a premier Army enterprise data and analytics platform. Following a successful inaugural competition at the depot where 3 teams focused on user-interface designs. In which the Kitting project emerged as the decisive winner by using AI to predict part shortages and streamline the delivery of materials to the floor exactly when needed.
The second iteration took depot members from those 3 teams to compete on an Army level. It challenged participants to build production-ready artificial intelligence workflows to solve real-world Army problems.
The five-day virtual event drew more than 300 participants from the active-duty Army, National Guard, Reserve, and civilian workforces.
Team CC Blue Ghost developed an AI workflow designed to streamline aviation depot-level maintenance. The team composed of the following members: Joshua Wigley, Oscar Davila, John Smith, Manuel Vasquez, Hector Medrano, Matthew LaPointe, and Carla Bolton.
In a tribute to the Coastal Bend’s military history, the AI team named itself the CC Blue Ghost after the USS Lexington (CV-16), also known as the “Blue Ghost.” The ship, an Essex-class aircraft carrier built during World War II, was a formidable combatant and training vessel for aviators and now serves as a museum in Corpus Christi.
This winning project was an integrated dashboard that consolidates maintenance program data, including material, labor, budget, and execution. Judges noted the solution set a new standard for AI-enabled workflows on the Vantage platform, distinguishing itself across every category of the competition rubric.
“Their efforts have produced a tremendous return on time and transformed operations,” said Mike Bonincontri, director of production management.
The Army creates a sense of purpose through personal and professional growth, empowering Soldiers and civilian employees to be part of something greater than themselves and be everything they can be.