How to be
an AI Governance Expert with ELCAS
By Richard Beck, Director of Cyber, QA
Transitioning
from military life to a civilian career can feel like stepping into a different
world, have confidence that the skills you’ve built in service are exactly what
the future of AI governance demands. Discipline in risk management, operational
oversight, and resilience map directly to managing AI systems safely and
securely
AI governance is about foresight, control, and collaboration,
qualities ingrained in every veteran. Whether it’s assessing risks, running
audits, or implementing standards like ISO 42001, the role requires the same
structured thinking, accountability, and strategic awareness that keep missions
safe and effective.
ISO 42001 is the world’s first certifiable AI management
system standard, a playbook for running AI safely, securely, and at scale.
Think ISO 27001 for AI, a repeatable, auditable framework that blends
innovation with oversight. For service leavers, and veterans, this will be
familiar territory. Managing complexity, enforcing standards, and ensuring
trust in high risk and high reward environments. In many ways, becoming an AI
governance specialist is simply applying military-grade skills to the digital
battlefield.
ISO 42001 the service leaver toolkit
An alignment with ISO 42001 can help organisations manage AI
responsibly today, balancing innovation and oversight, regardless of the LLM
model or AI vendor. Importantly, it addresses some of the essential EU AI
Act demands, including risk management, data governance, documentation,
monitoring, security, and safety. This makes it not just a helpful globally
agnostic overlay, but also a pre-compliance toolkit.
From a practical point of view, ISO 42001 aligns closely
with the risk-based, transparency, and human oversight expectations of the EU
AI Act, with management system foundations that regulators and supply chain AI
auditors will expect. It
gives you a repeatable tool kit, that veterans already have the skills to execute.
Spanning planning, execution, risk checks, performance tracking, and ongoing
improvement to embed ethics, transparency, fairness, and security into every
stage of AI.
ISO 42001 could be a fast track to readiness, but it will
never be a legal shield. It builds the infrastructure of AI security and
governance before the EU Act’s heavy rules hit. Alignment may also be
sufficient - subject to business risk appetite, certification may not be
required, but getting organisations certified does send a message of maturity
in AI security and governance.
The EU AI change makers
With the EU AI Act changes, its useful to be mindful of what
impact this will have on demand for ISO 42001 skilled veterans. Organisations
operating in multiple EU states, policymakers in the EU appear quietly
receptive but are waiting for some harmony, prepare for patterns of alignment
and adaptation, even among those already aligned to ISO 42001. Expect local
deviations - Germany, for example, is already writing its own bespoke tool set,
underpinned by ISO 42001.
France, Germany, and Italy all pushed back hard, worried
Europe would be perceived as less competitive and requested some form of
‘mandatory self-regulation', to protect innovation growth markets at home.
Despite the pressure, the timetable hasn’t changed. General-Purpose AI
obligations hit in August this year. High-risk rules follow in August
2026.
In the short term, an EU voluntary framework has been
developed to guide general-purpose AI (like LLMs) toward compliance with the EU
AI Act. This focuses on transparency, copyright protection, safety, and
security.
But how does this align with ISO 42001? Well, together they
can form a mutually reinforcing stack with ISO 42001 at the core, and any
regional and functional add-ons for legal alignment, security, and assurance.
All encouragement for AI governance upskilling to meet the demand.
I see Europe’s approach being split in two ways. If it
builds out its AI Office and enforcement auditors while standardisation catches
up, the AI Act could become notably. If instead - which is expected - the
pull-back from member states continues, we will see regulatory divergence,
reducing Europe’s ability to project security leadership via AI
governance.
UK delays AI Act until 2026
Here in the UK, the British government will not
introduce its AI Act until mid-2026, opting for a comprehensive, cross-sector
law instead of a quick, narrow bill.
The legislation is expected to focus on model safety
testing, copyright protections, transparency, and ethical safeguards, likely
applying to the most advanced AI systems.
In line with current US policy, expect a deregulated
pro-innovation approach toward more structured oversight while still aiming to
keep the UK competitive in global AI markets. We will have to wait and see
which body has formal oversight in vetting high-risk models before deployment.
The UK AI Security Institute, as it is today, is unlikely to be in the driving
seat.
In the meantime, the UK also introduced a ‘voluntary’ AI Cyber Security Code of Practice which does work
well alongside ISO 42001. It sets out clear principles for designing, building,
and running AI safely and securely, covering risk assessment, secure
development, supply chain assurance, and ongoing monitoring. ISO 42001 adds the
structured management system to turn these principles into day-to-day practice,
while the UK code bring targeted rules for AI security, ethics, and oversight.
Together, they give organisations a proportionate practical framework to build
safe, compliant, and well-governed AI.
ISO 42001 is not law, but it’s proof that an organisation is
prepared, especially as mandates, and contractual flow downs start to kick in.
Professional competence in AI Governance with demonstrable evidence, it will go
a long way to reducing compliance friction and improving business confidence. Organisations
will move faster and smarter than rivals who retrofit for compliance,
particularly for high-risk systems, evidencing traceability is a competitive
advantage.
The U.S. - AI growth first, risk second
In the U.S. ISO 42001 is emerging as more than a voluntary
standard, it’s a pre-emptive alignment framework, especially valuable for
organisations wanting to balance innovation with AI security and
governance.
From a U.S. government perspective, there’s no federal
mandate on ISO 42001 yet! But official bodies like NIST are deep in AI
standards development, and the White House’s AI executive orders reinforce the
importance of trustworthy AI systems and management system approaches. The US
AI action plan is a growth first, risk second approach, it specifically
downplays safety, ethics, and environmental checks to prioritise speed,
economic advantage, and national security. Businesses get a green light to
scale, but compliance teams must navigate a patchwork of state laws and
potential governance gaps.
State-level activity varies, some states pass AI-specific
legislation, others veto them, but these initiatives typically penalise any
lack of transparency or accountability. ISO 42001 gives organisations a
defensible structure when facing a myriad of fractured laws, foreign and
domestic.
While the U.S. regulatory landscape still tweaks definitions
in favour of innovation mandates, ISO 42001 now provides something solid to
build on. Framework integration with ISO 27001 and NIST AI Risk Management
Framework means it’s not siloed; it’s adaptable, auditable, and investor and
risk ready. With states moving separately, having a formal governance layer is a
competitive and compliance safe bet, especially for deployments crossing
markets.
Unlock AI governance skills to enable your personal growth
With an uncertain geo-political horizon, if ISO
standards bridge into formal harmonised global AI norms, you’ll be ahead
of the curve. If fragmentation deepens, your AI governance skills will become a
differentiator, especially with your military service background.
Interestingly, 76% of organisations in a CSA annual
compliance benchmark report plan to pursue frameworks like ISO 42001 soon. This
tells me that ISO 42001 is becoming the AI security governance de-facto for AI
acceleration, your future skills will be in demand.
Your military service has already proven that you can manage
risk, lead with integrity, and safeguard what matters most. Those same
strengths are what the world now needs in AI governance. Where others see
complexity, you see structure. Where others hesitate under pressure, you act
with clarity and discipline.
AI is fast becoming the defining technology of our time, and
its safe, ethical, and secure deployment will shape the future of society.
Veterans are not just well-suited to this challenge; you are built for it.
Stepping into AI governance with ELCAS is not a career change, it’s a
continuation of your mission: protecting people, ensuring trust, and leading
the way in high-stakes environments.
The battlefield has shifted from land, sea, and air to data,
risk, and AI governance. Once again, it needs professionals like you at the
front.
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