ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

From artificial intelligence to robotics, the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command is busy turning science fiction into soldiers’ future capabilities, according to its commanding general.

Through Team Ignite, a collaborative effort with Army Futures Command’s Futures and Concepts Center, the command is helping shape concepts and capabilities for the future battlefield.

The Army’s plan to modernize close-combat training hinges on a dynamic virtual training environment that is interoperable, realistic and scalable across all domains.

It also must have software that is compatible with a common architecture and easily updated.

Unmanned ground vehicles have made the transition from science fiction to reality, with platforms already proving their value to land forces. 

There are limits, though, on how fast progress can be made. Alexander Kott, an Army Research Laboratory scientist specializing in cyber resiliency, said the only limit on unmanned systems will be the speed of advances in science and technology. He said transformational, game-changing unmanned systems can be expected. 

The U.S. military has been a dominant force around the world, but that’s now changing as emerging technologies and global competition erode the American power advantage at “a startling pace,” author and national defense expert Christian Brose said.

“If we keep doubling down on sort of the ways and means we have traditionally relied upon as a joint force, we’re just going to make that problem worse for ourselves,” Brose said during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Thought Leaders webinar on Aug. 10. 

Chris Brose, author of The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare, will speak Aug. 10 as part of the Association of the U.S. Army’s Thought Leaders webinar series.

The presentation begins at 10 a.m. Eastern time. The event is free, but registration is required.

In his book, Brose examines how artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and other emerging technologies will define the future battlefield—and warns that the U.S. must adapt and respond in order to remain the world’s dominant military power.

The Army needs computer-smart technicians to help with its data management, but it also needs bureaucrats, said Don Bitner of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center during a panel discussion hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

The chief for strategy and development for infrastructure at the center, created in 2018, Bitner was part of a panel discussing the importance of cloud computing technology for Army strategy. 

Morality and modernization are equally important parts of the Army’s efforts to expand artificial intelligence and robotics, a senior Army official said at the opening of an Association of the U.S. Army event focused on the expansion of military capabilities.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper sees the landscape for artificial intelligence capabilities through the eyes of a young Army infantry officer during the First Gulf War.

Artificial intelligence has become a common part of everyday life, and it will continue to be an enabling technology for each of the Army’s modernization priorities, the director of the Army’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force said during an Oct. 14 Warriors Corner session at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

“I walked into the AUSA [annual meeting] one year ago, and what did I see? AI was everywhere. It’s become a pervasive part of our civilian society,” Brig. Gen. Matthew Easley said.