Our Senior Manager of Emerging Technology, Adam Mowat, provides his commentary on a relevant and thought-provoking article by Mark Cancian.
Does the incorporation of RAS-AI as an Edge to End capability give a combined arms fighting force the decisive advantage?
A relevant and thought-provokingarticle by Mark Cancian that brings to light an Innovation-Modernisation Dichotomy.
Modernising and equipping Defence forces with large and expensive platforms through life of type is necessary as we continue to subscribe to the manoeuvre theory and operate as a combined arms fighting force within combined arms teams – However, this will not guarantee decisive mission success in future conflicts with a near peer adversary.
Defence Forces need to rapidly explore the fusion point between innovation and modernistion through an iterative research and development process of new, emerging, and disruptive technology with a fail/fast– fail/hard mentality.
Seizure and retention of the initiative during Post H hr agility is more important than the derivation of decisive events during Pre-Hhr planning cycles. RAS/AI as a system, augmented into tactics, techniques and procedures of combined arms teams would strengthen post-H hr agility, and speed up decision making cycles of commanders enabling decision superiority on the battlefield.
Imagine the possibility for a moment that a mechanised Infantry platoon commander could tube launch 30 Drones (composition: 1 x ISR and 29 x Anti Amour Payloads) on the move from an Infantry Fighting Vehicle and have them loiter 10 kms ahead of the lead trace and prosecute adversary air and ground platforms through top attacks assisted by decision support AI software from a smart device attached to their soldier combat ensemble; whilst commanding the Platoon on the move. In this vignette RAS-AI has enabled a Platoon to achieve mass and scalable effects to accomplish a Combat Team task.
This edge to end capability would give a combined arms fighting force a decisive advantage during the next conflict by destroying in detail a near peer mechanised force from 10 grid squares away – out of adversary direct fire weapon systems.
Commercial Industries around the world now possess this technology – it is just not evenly distributed and syncronised across Defence organisations.
The challenge now is for Defence to develop, test and ratify a framework for ethical and responsible AI to be used in kinetic and lethal operations and speed up the introduction into service of this step change capability.
Click this link to read the original article:
Meikai Group
Meikai is a Professional Services Consultancy dedicated to facilitating and solving capability problems and challenges for our clients. Meikai specialises in the provision of engineering, project management and program delivery services to support the implementation of emerging and disruptive technology within the ICT, simulation, and training domains.
Authors
Adam Mowat– Senior Manager - Emerging Technology
Adam is Meikai's Senior Manager in Emerging Technology. As Senior Manager, Adam is committed to building Meikai’s capacity to support the Government in the exploration of novel concepts that will solve horizon capability challenges. Adam has spent over a decade working as an Army Officer for the Royal Australian Engineers.
Comments