X.1 About the Author

Jun 11, 2024

erik.alan.davis@gmail.com | Erik Davis | LinkedIn | (@erik_alan_davis) | X.com

SUMMARY

Col. Erik Davis is an active-duty Army officer with over 15 years of experience in special operations. A Gen. Wayne A. Downing Scholar, his assignments have taken him from village stability operations in rural villages in Afghanistan to preparing for high-end conflict in the First Island Chain. Throughout 21 years in the Army, he has leveraged data literacy for outsized advantage.

EDUCATION

Civilian

London School of Economics and Political Science
Diplomacy and International Strategy, Master of Science, graduated with Merit, Fall 2014
King’s College London
Terrorism Security and Society, Master of Arts, graduated with Distinction, Fall 2013
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. Telecommunications Management, Bachelor of Arts, May 2003

Military

Army War College Fellow, Present
Special Forces Qualification Course, Distinguished Graduate, 2008
Infantry Captains Career Course, 2006
Ranger School, 2003
Infantry Officers Basic Course, 2003

EXPERIENCE

Lieutenant Colonel

Converted analog systems to digital driven ones, resulting in 60% improved accuracy in Army modeling of SOF forces and garnering an additional $100 million dollars across the POM (5-year budget).
Converted a battalion headquarters to a data driven headquarters, mentoring over 50 junior officers to be the next generation of data literate leaders across the Army.
Built a single stop for data sharing that ensured a common operating picture across over a half-dozen headquarters and preventing any US casualties during a delicate diplomatic crisis in Syria.

Major

Executed a deep analysis of officer evaluation reports that identified three key variables driving promotion and command, while also eliminating over a dozen false ones.
Improved budget accuracy and accountability which garnered over $1.2 million additional dollars from higher headquarters, a +10% annual budget increase.
Built a digital system to replace an analogue process that typically took 45 days to complete; staffing time reduced to just 10 business days.

Captain

Increased the volume of data tracked and transferred between Afghan combat rotations by over 400%.
Built automated trackers to accelerate admin functions and gain back days of training time, all while improving equipment accountability with no loss.
Leveraged data to identify and track insurgent activity in Diyala, Iraq.

Lieutenant

Designed onboarding database to streamline and automate over a dozen company functions.
Identified novel data stream to improve unit maneuver and improve survivability in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

PUBLICATIONS

Articles

Downrange Data - This Substack
Whatcha Gonna Do PL? - The Center for Junior Officers - Junior Officers can be catalysts for new techniques and bring much needed innovation to the army.
Australia’s lack of defence primes isn’t a problem; it’s an opportunity - The ASPI Strategist - Sometimes all it takes is a lack of bad habits.
Responding to the Chief's Challenge: Reflecting On the Nature and Character of War - The Cove - Musings on war prompted by the Australian Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart.
Weaponize the Neurodivergent - From the Green Notebook - Co-authored with Dr. Katy Davis and LTC Nick Frazier. Neurodivergence is not a superpower. It can be both a strength and a challenge, but it is not inherently a disability, nor disqualifying from service.
Floating piers and sinking hopes: China’s logistics challenge in invading Taiwan - The ASPI Strategist - How TRIDENT PIER should serve as a warning to the PRC.
The Rank Problem - Harding Project Substack - The right and wrong way to use your rank to improve your formation.
Multi-Dimensional Modeling for Irregular Warfare - Irregular Warfare Initiative - We need to stop playing one dimensional chess and start using all three dimensions across all five domains. St Javelin is bigger than just a +1 modifier to Artillery.
Shared Attention: Reflections on Family and Service - Modern War Institute - How the Army is a ‘third thing’ for my wife and I, and how she’s helped me understand my service.
‘Black Ditch’ Special Warfare Magazine, Vol. 36 Iss. 2 and Vol 36. Iss. 1. A FICINT (Fictional Intelligence) narrative about a hypothetical future conflict with the PLA over Taiwan told from an Army SOF lens.
Drink, Think, Link: Guiding Online Mentorship (army.mil) - Co-authored with LTC Nick Frazier, a guide to moving informal mentorship online.
The Need to Train Data-Literate U.S. Army Commanders - War on the Rocks - The article that spawned it all. As the USARPAC CTO put it, ‘We need a digital ACFT’.

Podcasts

Beyond Gut Instinct - The Military Leader - I joined Andrew Steadman, Jonathan Bate, and Brett Reichert to discuss how data literate leaders can transform their formations.
Making More "Data Literate" Army Commanders - War on the Rocks - Discussing ‘why commanders?’ with the War on the Rocks: Soldier Stories.
Drones, Automation, and how ARSOF is Adapting - Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) - Dr. Jack Watling PhD details the changes and impacts drones and robotics are bringing to the battlefield, while I lay out USASOC’s way ahead to bring them to our formations.
The Army's Harding Project and Online Mentorship - It's A Blast Podcast - Nick and I join Michael Villahermosa (EODHappyCaptain) on his podcast to discuss our Drink, Think, Link article.
Concept of Resistance: Part 2 - Resistance in the Indo-Pacific - The Indigenous Approach - How does the Resistance Operational Concept translate to the First Island Chain? A conversation with three different 1-1 SFG Commanders.

Presentations

Do Terrorists Exploit Relative Superiority? My King’s College thesis presented at the CT Expo in London, April 2014.