Former Army PEO IEW&S head Ed Barker joins Virtualitics as mission adviser. Photo: Ed Barker/LinkedIn Virtualitics has appointed retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Ed Barker as mission adviser. Dylan Evers, the company's combatant commands, U.S. Army and national security principal, confirmed that Barker has joined Virtualitics in a LinkedIn post and added that the former military leader will guide efforts to advance artificial intelligence-driven intelligence in support of warfighters. "Leaders like Ed understand both the mission and the machinery of the department required to deliver capability to the field," wrote Evers. "His experience will be invaluable as we continue working with war organizations to apply advanced AI to some of the Department's most complex readiness and operational challenges." Who is Ed Barker? During his military career, Barker held multiple leadership roles across the Army's acquisition enterprise. He most recently served as program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors, or PEO IEW&S, where he oversaw a portfolio of more than 80 programs and quick-reaction capabilities. In the role, he managed an annual budget of approximately $2.7 billion and led efforts to deliver intelligence, cyber, positioning, navigation and timing, and force protection capabilities to the warfighter. He also served as chief of staff to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, where he helped coordinate a multibillion-dollar portfolio of programs. His other leadership roles include serving as project manager for Soldier Warrior at PEO Soldier and as assistant program executive officer for PEO Enterprise Information Systems. What other recent appointments has Virtualitics made? Barker's appointment follows a series of leadership additions at Virtualitics aimed at strengthening its position in AI and national security markets. In early March, the company elected retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Kramer as a member of its board of advisers. Kramer brings to the company more than three decades of military and federal experience, including serving as deputy chief of staff for operations and intelligence at NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, where he led multinational planning and intelligence coordination efforts. Earlier this year, Virtualitics also appointed Craig Rosen as chief financial officer. Rosen, a finance executive with over 15 years of experience, is responsible for overseeing financial strategy, capital planning and operational functions to support the company's growth.

Virtualitics wins 2026 AI Excellence award for Interpretable & Transparent AI (XAI). Virtualitics has been named a winner in the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards, recognized in the category of Interpretable & Transparent AI (XAI). This recognition highlights Virtualitics' leadership in building trusted, explainable AI systems that move beyond experimentation into real-world, mission-critical use. As organizations increasingly demand transparency and accountability from AI, this category reflects a growing focus on systems that leaders can understand, trust, and act on. Presented by the Business Intelligence Group, the Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards recognize organizations applying AI to deliver measurable, real-world impact. At the center of this recognition is Virtualitics' Integrated Readiness Optimization (IRO) platform. Unlike traditional analytics tools that stop at dashboards, IRO is designed to predict what will happen and recommend what to do next. It combines predictive analytics, optimization, and AI agents that provide mission-specific context to every recommendation. Among these, AI agents play a critical role. Large language models alone are not enough in operational environments, they lack the context required for real-world decision-making. Virtualitics' approach ensures insights are not only generated but understood and acted on across the command chain. One of the biggest barriers to AI adoption isn't technology, it's usability. Virtualitics focuses on delivering AI that operators and leaders can actually use. By simplifying complexity and prioritizing explainability, the platform enables users to trust and act on AI-driven recommendations in high-stakes environments. This approach reflects a broader industry shift recognized by this award: AI must be transparent, accountable, and usable to deliver real impact. IRO is deployed across secure defense environments including ADVANA, ODIN, SIPR, NIPR, and JWICS, supporting missions across all service branches. Organizations using IRO have achieved: * 24% improvement in maintenance efficiency * 32% increase in scheduling productivity * 50,000+ man-hours saved annually * 1M+ explainable AI-driven recommendations These outcomes demonstrate why Virtualitics was recognized in this year's awards, delivering measurable results in mission-critical environments. The Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards spotlight organizations that are defining the next phase of AI, where success is measured by outcomes, not experimentation. For Virtualitics, this recognition reinforces a clear focus on building AI systems that leaders can trust, understand, and act on. As AI adoption accelerates, Virtualitics continues to expand its mission AI platform with deeper contextual intelligence, natural-language interfaces, and scalable deployment across mission environments. The objective remains unchanged: turn complex data into clear decisions, delivering operational certainty and decision advantage at speed and scale.