AI To Win the Next War

This Veterans Day is a reminder that our armed services have earned the title of the world’s most lethal fighting force. Through blood, sweat, and bravery, America’s military has dominated the past 250 years of combat. But winning wars in the next century will require the defense community to stop treating AI like a potential adversary and embrace it as our trusted ally.

Spurred by the President’s AI Action Plan and Secretary Pete Hegseth’s focus on rebuilding our military, the Pentagon has forged promising partnerships with leading AI innovators. Just this summer, the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) awarded contracts worth up to $200 million each to OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI. Tech on display at the recent AUSA conference – from ShieldAI’s X-BAT autonomous takeoff fighter jets to Anduril’s Eagle Eye modular AI-powered soldier headsets – only confirms that the future is here. 

Recent actions from Congress and the White House laid the groundwork for this transformation. But, especially with the federal government stuck in a shutdown, policy alone won’t lead to operational outcomes. That’s where the private sector comes in. 

Here’s what the U.S. military’s AI future could look like: 

During my active duty deployments, fractured data networks, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, intelligence gaps, and basic human error were constant hurdles. Crossed wires or maintenance bottlenecks could stall an operation for hours. These already built and ready-to-scale AI/ML solutions can deliver the actionable insights human forces need to make the decisions that create decisive battle advantages. 

To meet this moment, several steps are necessary. The Pentagon should broaden access for trusted technology partners to innovate inside the defense enterprise. Training programs must invest in AI literacy at every level, ensuring that troops understand and trust the tools they are given. And most importantly, the Department must move beyond isolated proofs of concept to scale successful AI solutions.  

Ultimately, as the nation honors those who have served this November, we must move from reflection to action and equip the next generation of military men and women with the tools they need to win wars of the future. Artificial intelligence will never replace the courage, judgment, or sacrifice of those in uniform. But it can ease their burden, sharpen their decision-making, and increase their chance of coming home victoriously. 

With AI as our ally, the wars of the future are America’s to win. 

John Adams, U.S. Army Brigadier General (retired), is President of Guardian Six Consulting and former Deputy U.S. Military Representative to NATO’s Military Committee. He worked with military representatives of NATO and Partnership for Peace member nations to develop policy recommendations for the political authorities of the Alliance and helped coordinate the transfer of authority in Afghanistan from US to NATO control. He has a B.A. in economics from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, an M.A. in International Relations from Boston University, an M.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, an M.A. in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College and has completed the US /Russia Flag Officers’ Program at Harvard University.