US military shifting to AI-led warfare model: Pentagon

A US congressional hearing highlighted future warfare driven by AI, cyber tools, and autonomous systems. Jason Crow and Frank Bradley stressed rapid adaptation, resource gaps, and growing global focus on technology-led, multi-domain military strategies influencing countries like India

Washington:  A US congressional hearing on special operations forces offered a glimpse into the future of warfare — one driven by artificial intelligence, cyber operations, and autonomous systems — highlighting lessons closely watched in India as it reshapes its military to address emerging threats.

Lawmakers and military leaders stated that the battlefield is rapidly evolving, with technology lowering the barrier for both state and non-state actors to deploy advanced capabilities such as drones, cyber tools, and AI-driven systems.

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“The bar to access advanced technology like AI, drones, and complex cyber tools has never been lower,” Congressman Jason Crow said, warning that such tools now allow smaller groups to “punch above their weight”.

Assistant Secretary of Defence Derrick Anderson said the current security environment is marked by “simultaneity convergence and speed”, with adversaries increasingly aligned and “technologically enabled”. He described US Special Operations Forces (SOF) as uniquely positioned for this shift, providing “scalable, tailorable and asymmetric options across the full spectrum of competition and conflict”.

Admiral Frank Bradley, commander of US Special Operations Command, said the military must adapt quickly to remain effective in this environment. “We must adapt faster than our adversaries,” he said, underlining the need to “accelerate capability development” and integrate emerging technologies. Bradley identified cyber and the digital domain as central to future conflict.

“The cyber and the virtual domain are critical manoeuvre spaces that we must take advantage of,” he said, adding that the growing “ubiquitous information environment” presents both risks and opportunities. He also pointed to the rise of autonomous systems, describing “the emergence of abundant lethal autonomy” as a defining feature of modern warfare. However, he stressed that human control remains central, saying the law of war requires “a human that’s making that decision” on the use of lethal force.

Despite this technological push, both lawmakers and military leaders warned that resources have not kept pace with demand. Chairman Ronny Jackson said Socom’s “purchasing power has been reduced by 14 per cent since 2019, despite increasing demand for support worldwide”.

Bradley added that growing operational demands have forced the command to divert funds from future capabilities. “That pace of — of growing usage but diminishing resources was causing us to have to eat into our modernisation budget,” he said.

Lawmakers said this shift requires rethinking how forces are structured and equipped, including greater emphasis on cyber capabilities, information warfare, and partnerships with allies. For India, the hearing underscores a broader shift in how major powers are preparing for future conflicts — moving away from large-scale troop deployments towards technology-driven, agile and specialised forces capable of operating across multiple domains.

US special operations forces have been central to American military campaigns since the early 2000s, particularly in counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now their role has expanded to include competition with China and Russia, cyber-enabled operations, and support for partner nations.

The discussion in Washington reflects a growing consensus that future conflicts will be shaped less by conventional force size and more by speed, technology, and information dominance — an evolution that is increasingly influencing defence planning across the world, including in India.