reaperdoesntknow/Shepherd-Alpha
Shepherd-Alpha is a 1.7 billion parameter tactical reasoning model developed by Convergent Intelligence LLC, based on the Qwen3 architecture. It is fine-tuned using BiCell Depth Dispersal, a novel methodology that partitions transformer layers for asymmetric training, to generate dual-perspective military scenario analysis. The model specializes in producing both adversary attack reasoning and defensive counter-strategies. It is designed for autonomous defense applications, focusing on structured tactical analysis rather than control or actuation.
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Shepherd-Alpha: Tactical AI Reasoning
Shepherd-Alpha, developed by Convergent Intelligence LLC: Research Division, is the first public model in the Shepherd family, focusing on AI systems for autonomous defense. This 1.7 billion parameter model, built on the Qwen3 base, is uniquely designed to perform dual-perspective military scenario analysis.
Key Capabilities
- Dual-Perspective Tactical Analysis: Generates both "attack reasoning" (how an adversary would exploit a situation) and "defense reasoning" (how to counter and mitigate threats) for a given tactical scenario.
- BiCell Depth Dispersal Training: Utilizes a novel training methodology that partitions transformer layers by abstraction depth and trains them asymmetrically. This forces specialization, with lower layers encoding domain structure and upper layers focusing on reasoning.
- Specialized Domain Adaptation: Training insights revealed that for domain-specific fine-tuning, representation layers (lower layers) are the primary bottleneck, adapting significantly more than reasoning layers.
Training Details
Shepherd-Alpha was fine-tuned on the ZennyKenny/tactical-military-reasoning-v.1.0 dataset, comprising 150 dual-perspective tactical scenarios. The training involved 3 epochs on NVIDIA A100 hardware, with loss computed only on assistant reasoning tokens.
Limitations
As an alpha release, the model has a small training set, limiting its tactical depth. The base model's internal thinking patterns (<think>) can sometimes override structured output, requiring specific generation configurations. It is strictly an analysis and reasoning tool, not a weapon system capable of control or actuation.