The age of AI warfare has arrived, and speed will determine victory – opinion

The article argues that artificial intelligence (AI) is not replacing human commanders but is fundamentally transforming modern warfare by changing how commanders think, decide, and fight. It highlights two simultaneous AI revolutions: one in military headquarters and another at the tactical edge. In headquarters, AI serves as "cognitive augmentation," processing vast amounts of information to reduce cognitive overload and compress decision time, enabling commanders to focus on uniquely human aspects of command. At the tactical edge, AI supports autonomous execution under human command, making time-sensitive tactical decisions within predefined human parameters. The author emphasizes that the force that "sees first, understands first, decides first, and acts first will increasingly hold the decisive advantage," with AI accelerating observation, information processing, and situational understanding. Sensor fusion, powered by AI, transforms fragmented data into a coherent operational picture, both for improved understanding in headquarters and enhanced action at the tactical edge. These two AI revolutions are interconnected, forming a cognitive operational network where headquarters learn from tactical systems, and tactical systems receive guidance from headquarters, all updated in real time.