Defence AI & Autonomy (Operational Priorities)

NATO Allies have elevated defence applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems into a core operational priority to preserve the Alliance’s technological and military edge. The 2022 NATO Strategic Concept explicitly recognises that emerging and disruptive technologies like AI and robotics are “altering the character of conflict” and becoming arenas of strategic competition .

Adversaries’ rapid advances – from Russia’s use of drones and cyber attacks in warfare to China’s investments in military AI – pose a threat to Allied security and underscore the need for NATO to promote innovation and increase investments in these technologies .

This analysis answers: Why have NATO Allies elevated defence AI and autonomous systems to a core operational priority to preserve their technological and military edge? How are AI and robotics altering the character of conflict, as recognised in the 2022 NATO Strategic Concept? Which mission sets, force posture and capability families are required, given Russian and Chinese military-AI advances? What technology clusters, industrial base and structural bottlenecks constrain Allied defence AI?