Continuing the conversation from Part 1, we now turn to the battlefield, where AI is reshaping how we deter and fight wars.
The battlefield in 2025 looks vastly different than just a decade ago. AI innovations that advance ISR and practically zero out hallucination rates have increased both the potential of AI and trust in its results. Today’s AI-enabled ISR innovations and defense technology advancements are already used in warfare to improve decision-making, targeting, and resource allocation, not to mention helping to identify threats, gather intelligence, and prepare for battle.
From battlefield intelligence to ISR innovations like TITAN, AI is enabling faster, smarter decisions. As we navigate AI’s Decisive Decade, and approach a pivotal shift in 2025, how will these innovations strengthen U.S. defense, enhance strategic deterrence, and help prevent future conflicts?
AI in Warfare: Lessons from Ukraine
The world is universally impressed with Ukraine’s resiliency in their war with Russia. One of their secrets is AI. While both players are leveraging AI, Ukraine has been especially agile in its use of:
- CJADC2: Ukraine has developed a situational awareness system called DELTA that resembles our Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control system. DELTA provides a practical and agile approach to battlefield management, supported by a comprehensive ecosystem of largely commercial software applications. As a result, the scale of military operations being conducted by Ukraine is unprecedented for a nation of its size.
- Drones: Ukraine has developed AI-enabled drones with multiple benefits. They are able to lock on to targets just prior to impact. This has helped neutralize Russian electronic warfare jamming technologies in the field. Now Ukraine is working on a new generation of drones that utilize AI not just at the final targeting stage, but throughout their flight.
- AI-assisted intelligence: Ukraine is using AI to analyze drone footage, satellite imagery, social media and other sources to identify targets, assess situations, make decisions, allocate resources, and guide military operations.
When it comes to speed and precision in warfare, Ukraine has amassed a significant advantage in AI-driven battlefield awareness, logistics and defense. Some even call the war between Ukraine and Russia as “The First AI War” due to Ukraine’s advancements and facility with the technology.
AI in Warfare: ISR Innovations and Defense Technology Advancements
From robots to drones, the United States is pursuing new technologies and infrastructure for AI-assisted warfare. Initiatives like the Army’s Project Linchpin are leading the way, looking for newer and more effective ways to incorporate AI and machine learning into defense.
One of those initiatives is TITAN, the Army’s Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node. TITAN is a next-generation ISR ground station, leveraging AI and ML to rapidly process sensor data received from space, high altitude, aerial and terrestrial layers. The program will collect and disseminate sensor data to improve targeting, situational awareness and understanding.
AI in Warfare: Ensuring Accuracy with Near-Zero Hallucinations
One of the challenges throughout the development of AI and its intelligence-providing capabilities is accuracy. AI has a trust issue because it can deliver results that look accurate, but are not. These results are known as hallucinations. It is estimated that up to 10% of the results from leading large language models are inaccurate. This rate can, of course, have a devastating effect on critical decisions.
Primer took on the issue of hallucinations and, in 2024, developed RAG-V, a verification technique used in the retrieval augmented generation process that reduces hallucinations to near zero. This is a big step in the development of AI because it garners trust over skepticism and we think trust could be the tipping point upon which AI rests as we enter the second half of the Decisive Decade.
AI in Warfare: Redefining Modern Warfare
AI is redefining the battlefield in the Decisive Decade. What we’ve seen in Ukraine is the tip of the iceberg. With powers shifting and countries like China catching up to the US in AI development, the race is picking up pace in 2025.
