US pledges to become “AI-first warfighting force” as navy hits new autonomy milestone
The BQM-177A launches from a simulated platform. (Photo: US Navy)
A memo released on Monday outlines three key areas where the Pentagon can accelerate its adoption of artificial intelligence, including paths to finding new ways to integrate AI in combat, while the US Navy continues to push ahead with AI-enabled autonomy.
The US has published its latest strategy outline on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military as it pledged to take steps towards becoming an “AI-first warfighting force”.
In a memo to senior Pentagon leadership from Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, he outlined steps towards how the department would adapt this new approach, emphasising three core focuses: warfighting, intelligence and enterprise operations.
One project, listed as ‘Swarm Forge’, was described as a “competitive mechanism to…discover, test and scale novel ways of fighting with and against AI-enabled capabilities” – combining warfighting units with technology “innovators”.
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