What real interoperability looks likeWhen defense leaders talk about interoper­ability, the conversation often stops at compliance: modular open systems approach (MOSA) checklists, application programming interface (API) documentation, and open standards on paper. What the community has not solved is how to make AI systems adapt gracefully to that narrowing funnel. AI that requires connectivity at the tactical edge is not edge AI; it is cloud AI with a latency problem. Build the orchestration layer before you think you need it: Orchestration is the foundation on which life cycle management, resource allocation, and cross-platform deployment are built. Building the foundationThe edge AI systems fielded today will define the operational baseline for the next decade.