Key Takeaways:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) tools outperformed human professionals in a key piece of planning military operations in a recent Air Force experiment
- The AI algorithms generated more Courses of Action (COAs) in less time than humans, with 97% viability and tactical validity
- The AI tools made fewer errors than humans, with no "hallucinations" or grossly inaccurate outputs
- The experiment was designed to stress and stretch human participants, who were mostly trained and experienced in Air Force operations in the air
- The AI tools are not ready for operational use by planning staffs today, but are intended to evolve into "microservices" that plug into a larger military command-and-control system
Introduction to AI in Military Operations
The Air Force recently conducted an experiment, known as DASH-3 (Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming), which pitted AI tools from six different companies against military personnel from the US, Canada, and UK. The goal was to solve hypothetical "battle management" problems, including planning an airstrike or rerouting aircraft whose home base had been damaged. According to Col. John Ohlund, director of the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team (ABMS CFT), "These machine-generated recommendations were up to 90 percent faster than traditional methods, with the best in machine-class solutions showing 97 percent viability and tactical validity."
The Experiment: Human vs. AI
The experiment involved human-generated courses of action, which took about 19 minutes to complete, with 48% of the options being considered viable and tactically valid. In contrast, the AI algorithms generated more COAs in less time, with 97% viability and tactical validity. Ohlund noted that "the computer does not forget," and the AI tools retained absolutely everything, whereas humans often got overwhelmed by new information and forgot or misremembered it when crunch time came. As Ohlund explained, "We challenged the operators outside of their comfort zone for their normal training… We gave them multi-domain problems to solve [in] one hour."
Limitations and Caveats
While the results of the experiment are impressive, there are several caveats to consider. The scenario was designed to stress and stretch the human participants, who were mostly trained and experienced in Air Force operations in the air. The personnel participating in the experiment were used to working on actual command-and-control networks with real-life performance data, but the experiment used unclassified approximations of the real thing. Additionally, the AI tools obviously hadn’t completed Joint Professional Military Education courses or spent years working in joint operations centers. As Ohlund cautioned, "We didn’t observe hallucinations during the experiment," but the AI tools are not yet ready for operational use by planning staffs today.
The Future of AI in Military Operations
The AI tools used in the experiment are intended to evolve into "microservices" that plug into a larger military command-and-control system. According to Ohlund, generating Courses Of Action is just one step out of 13 to develop an executable plan, and more algorithmic microservices can be developed to handle those other 12 steps as well. As Lt. Ashley Nguyen, a participant in the experiment, noted, "I was skeptical about technology being integrated into decision-making… But working with the tools, I saw how user-friendly and timesaving they could be. The AI didn’t replace us; it gave us a solid starting point to build from." The Air Force plans to continue developing and refining these AI tools, with the goal of creating a more efficient and effective military command-and-control system.
Conclusion
The recent Air Force experiment demonstrates the potential of AI to augment human decision-making in military operations. While there are limitations and caveats to consider, the results of the experiment are promising, and the Air Force plans to continue developing and refining these AI tools. As Ohlund noted, "The computer does not forget," and the AI tools can ingest a firehose of novel information unfazed. The future of AI in military operations is likely to involve the development of more sophisticated AI tools that can work in tandem with human planners to create more effective and efficient military command-and-control systems.
https://breakingdefense.com/2026/01/air-force-says-ai-tools-outperform-human-planners-in-battle-management-experiment/