Army units stationed in Europe now train for a battlefield where 1,500 daily targets and 1,200 incoming drones or missiles could overwhelm even the most capable human analysts. The sheer volume forces commanders to reconsider how targeting decisions get made under fire.
The war in Ukraine has demonstrated what massive drone and missile barrages look like in practice. Russian strike packages increasingly combine ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and jet-powered one-way attack drones. Those jet engines make the drones faster and harder to intercept.
At last month’s Association of the United States Army convention in Washington, DC, Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter, who leads Multi-Domain Command Europe, described the core problem. “I believe it’s important to use super intelligence for things that humans aren’t necessarily good at, and that’s speed and scale,” he said. At the same time, he insisted humans must retain the final say.
The proposed AI system would parse battlefield data against a commander’s stated objectives and operational parameters. From there, it could evaluate available weapons and recommend responses. Those options might include conventional strikes, electronic warfare, or cyber operations.
Speed matters, but not exclusively. Army officials point out that AI can spot patterns or recall details that human analysts might miss or forget under stress. Commanders then receive a menu of options rather than a single automated directive.
Carpenter stressed that the technology aims to unburden analysts, not replace them. The goal shifts human focus toward genuinely difficult targets, such as dual-use facilities requiring careful legal and ethical review. “The human is making the decision, the final call,” he said.
A joint Army and NATO exercise earlier this year tested a homegrown AI tool in beta. It consumed and sorted operational data during the drill. Officials plan a larger-scale evaluation at an upcoming exercise.
Meanwhile, the Army continues folding AI into its Next Generation Command and Control system. That platform feeds commanders real-time information on targeting, ammunition levels, maintenance needs, intelligence feeds, and simulated enemy attacks. The integration spans drones, weapons, and targeting processes alike.
As AI adoption accelerates across the force, the central question remains whether machines can compress decision timelines without eroding human judgment. The coming exercises should offer the clearest answer yet.
