By: Tuva Siegel, Warrior Editorial Fellow

The 101st Airborne Division is transforming at the brigade level, pioneering new systems, technologies, and formations as part of the Army’s Transformation in Contact initiative. Drawing upon lessons from his unit's recent Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) rotation, Col.  Richard "Ryan" Bell explained that soldiers feed AI robotic systems a variety of army doctrines and about 25,000 drone sensor spot reports to gain assistance while planning to help break down massive amounts of data for greater efficiency. Bell’s analysis seems to indicate that AI as a tool is both deepening its advantages and expanding its boundaries, progressively revealing how it can be integrated to help break down the day-to-day functions of military operations. At the forefront of combat, this is already generating an “unfair fight” for the opposition, according to military officials. 

Bell went on to explain how AI was found to be very “helpful” for mission analysis; however, it hits a wall in capability when it comes to the commander’s intent and course action development, as it is unable to confidently outline variables and assert what a desired end state for a mission might be. That responsibility still falls on Bell himself. One reason for this is AI’s inability to understand 3-dimensional space: “They're not good for developing courses of action. That is where you need the expertise of a skilled staff who understands how we fight to plan the operation.” In other words, AI systems speed up order production and allow operations to run faster than the opposing force, a representation of a potential enemy the Army calls Geronimo. 

Another example of AI integration, more specifically aligned with combat, is the integration of what the Army calls Strike-AI. Originating from the AI task force, Strike-AI is designed to compress the kill chain to under a minute, claimed Bell. Stripe AI assists with target recognition and sensor-to-shooter links, automatically routing information through a digital network to quickly request artillery strikes or launch one-way attack munitions. Large language models have significantly accelerated planning and order production, allowing commanders to focus on decision-making rather than administrative tasks.

While Bell emphasized AI's role in planning and decision support, he also highlighted how drones and robotic systems are reshaping battlefield operations. Bell explains, “Normally at JRTC, you will see the brigade order published about the time Geronimo pushes out his reconnaissance and the defense starts, leaving the battalions struggling to get their own planning done and establish their defensive positions.” However, under the speed of AI, orders were done several days ahead of time, about “72 hours,” which enabled the battalions to properly follow the one-third, two-thirds rule when working through their planning cycle. This rule splits combat decision time between commanders and soldiers, allowing units to consider defensive barriers that they often run out of time to fully account for. That extra time also freed them to rehearse scenarios and reveal problems before combat, enabling “additional obstacles to allow them to build a defense that held.” Even in difficult simulations such as chemical attacks by Geronimo, robotic systems would be employed to attempt breaching operations, which “bought time for the battalions and the companies to rehearse and enabled us to control the tempo of the fight,” concluded Bell. 

Mitigating the risk of innovation means focusing on the soldiers themselves and making sure the technology enables them rather than burdens them. Bell explains, “They still have to be able to fight without it. So, we focused our training on those basics, we concentrated the innovation and the new technology in specific places.” In other words, a rifleman using AI still has to be a good rifleman. Further emphasizing the role and security of humans, Bell outlined the strategy of sending out robots first, before soldiers. For example, units are using one-way attack munitions built with computer numerical control (CNC)-cut carbon fiber frames, with motors, propellers, and batteries, purchased at low cost from compliant items on the “Blue List,” known as Attritable Battlefield Enablers (ABE 1.01). These drones drop grappling hooks to breach triple-strand concertina wires. By the time infantry arrives, enemy positions have already been identified and breached by drones and robotic systems. Bell described this approach as creating "an unfair fight in our favor." With 35 drones and about 100 pounds of explosives, the mission is accomplished for less money than the cost of three 155mm artillery barrages. “As we scale the capability, we are using it to fight in front of us—a 'drone contact layer,’” said Bell. 

The lessons from the 101st Airborne Division suggest that AI's greatest value today lies not in making decisions, but in enabling faster and more informed human decision-making. By reducing administrative burdens and extending the reach of robotic systems, AI is helping units gain time and increase combat effectiveness without replacing the expertise of commanders and soldiers.

Tuva Siegel is an Editorial Fellow at Warrior Maven. She studies English at Kenyon College. Tuva is the author of Drömland, a fictional collection of short stories, and is currently studying weapons and military technology.