Written by: Petar Petrovič, Manuel Tavares Martins Dias, Morgane Denieul, Victoriano Vicente Botella Berenguer and Niccolò Grasso

Supervised by: Belén Padrón Salinas

Edited by: Conley Austin

Abstract

In an era of technological ‘Oppenheimer momentum,’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as the new frontier in military decision-making, presenting enormous promises and challenges.

This paper investigates the transformational impact of AI in the context of European land-based military operations, focussing on how AI may speed up decision-making, improve interoperability, and reshape traditional command and control (C2) structures. AI’s unprecedented capacity to interpret large data sets in real time can improve battlefield responsiveness and operational efficiency, acting as a force multiplier in multi-domain operations.

In the current context of global military competition, AI’s dual-purpose nature—its applicability in both civilian and military contexts—presents European ground forces with a competitive advantage, notably in sensor-to-shooter systems, predictive analysis, and autonomous decision-making. In addition to these improvements, this paper discusses the ethical, legal, and security problems connected with AI use for such purposes. As autonomous systems perform more complicated jobs, worries about accountability, transparency, and potential overreliance on opaque AI algorithms pose critical considerations about the future of combat and global security.

The present study not only emphasises AI’s capacity to transform contemporary military decision-making mechanisms but also advocates for a strong governance structure that provides human supervision, ethical purity, and the preservation of international security standards in the context of unmanned conflict.