Artificial Intelligence has quietly repositioned itself from a buzzword to a battlefield reality. Once confined to research laboratories and speculative war games, AI is now reshaping how modern militaries see, decide, and strike. For India—facing two nuclear-armed adversaries, persistent sub-conventional threats, and an increasingly contested cyber and space domain—the question is no longer whether AI matters. The real question is whether India can integrate it fast enough, wisely enough, and on its own terms.
In future wars, victory will belong less to those who possess the largest arsenals and more to those who can process information the fastest and act with precision. AI is the great accelerator in this contest. It compresses time, sharpens situational awareness, and enables commanders to operate inside an adversary’s decision loop. Used well, it is a force multiplier. Used poorly—or ignored—it becomes a strategic liability.
India’s armed forces have begun this transition, but the journey remains incomplete. What is at stake is not just technological modernisation, but India’s ability to deter conflict, manage escalation, and prevail across the full spectrum of warfare. Today, AI is making its most visible impact in target acquisition and prioritisation, drone and counter-drone warfare, air and missile defence, cyber security, and battlefield logistics.
This raises deeper questions. Will “boots on the ground” eventually give way to “brains on code”? Will the next arms race be fought over algorithms rather than platforms? And how should democratic societies like India address the ethical dilemmas posed by AI, especially in sub-conventional operations such as counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism?
Why AI has become central to military power
Modern warfare is defined by data. Satellites, drones, radars, cyber sensors, electronic intelligence systems, and battlefield networks generate oceans of information every second. Human cognition alone cannot cope with this volume, velocity, and complexity. AI fills that gap.
At its core, AI enhances four pillars of military power.
First, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR). AI systems can process vast sensor feeds in real time, flag anomalies, detect patterns, and cue human analysts to emerging threats. In an era where surprise is measured in minutes rather than days, this capability is decisive. AI-enabled data fusion across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains allows commanders to perceive the battlefield as a single, coherent operational picture rather than as fragmented inputs.
Second, decision support and command systems. AI-driven analytics can simulate outcomes, predict adversary behaviour, optimise logistics, and generate multiple courses of action. In complex, multi-domain operations, decision quality matters as much as decision speed. AI does not replace commanders—but it expands their cognitive bandwidth.
Third, kinetic and non-kinetic attack and defence. AI enables the management of multiple, simultaneous threats—prioritising targets and intercepts in air and missile defence, coordinating drone swarms, and synchronising kinetic strikes with cyber, electronic warfare, and information operations. Against saturation attacks, human-only systems are simply too slow.
Fourth, autonomy and robotics. From unmanned aerial vehicles to autonomous surface and ground platforms, AI allows forces to extend reach, persist longer, and operate in high-risk environments without exposing soldiers to unnecessary danger.
These capabilities are no longer optional add-ons. They are becoming baseline requirements for credible military power.
Where India stands today
India is often portrayed as a laggard in defence technology. That narrative no longer holds when it comes to AI.
Along sensitive borders—particularly the Line of Actual Control and the Line of Control—AI-enabled surveillance systems are already operational. These integrate electro-optical sensors, radars, and analytics to detect intrusions and suspicious movement in terrain where human vigilance is difficult to sustain continuously.
In the air and maritime domains, AI-powered unmanned systems are steadily proliferating. UAVs conduct extended ISR missions, while autonomous navigation software developed by Indian public-sector and private firms is enabling unmanned surface vessels for maritime surveillance. Counter-drone systems using AI-based threat classification are being deployed to protect critical installations and airspace from low-cost aerial threats—a lesson reinforced by recent conflicts worldwide.
Cyber defence is another domain where AI is no longer experimental. Machine-learning tools are increasingly used to detect anomalies, identify intrusions, and adapt defences in real time. As cyber operations compress decision cycles beyond human reaction times, automation becomes indispensable.
Training and simulation have also benefited. AI-driven simulators allow forces—especially the Air Force—to train under adaptive, realistic scenarios without the cost, wear and tear, or risk of live exercises.
Behind these applications lies a growing indigenous ecosystem. The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) has developed multiple operational systems, while a vibrant defence start-up landscape—energised by procurement reforms and the Atmanirbhar Bharat push—is delivering niche AI solutions faster than traditional defence manufacturing ever could.
This is real progress. But progress alone is not strategy.
The strategic payoff—and the strategic risk
The military benefits of AI are undeniable.
AI-enhanced situational awareness allows commanders to see the battlefield as a dynamic whole. In challenging environments such as the Himalayas, where weather, terrain, and logistics impose severe constraints, this advantage can be decisive.
Decision superiority may be even more important. Predictive analytics can help anticipate adversary deployments, identify logistical vulnerabilities, and manage sustainment in prolonged operations. In conflicts where escalation control is as important as firepower, foresight becomes a strategic asset.
AI also improves force protection. Autonomous platforms can undertake dangerous reconnaissance, surveillance, and explosive-ordnance disposal tasks, reducing casualties and preserving combat power.
Yet these advantages come with risks. Over-reliance on opaque algorithms, biased or poor-quality data, and insecure networks can create new vulnerabilities. An AI-enabled force that cannot explain, audit, or trust its own systems is not stronger—it is brittle.
The policy gap India must close
India’s greatest challenge in military AI is not technological; it is institutional.
Despite the existence of bodies such as the Defence AI Council and the Defence AI Project Agency, India still lacks a clearly articulated defence AI doctrine. Without it, adoption risks becoming fragmented—driven by individual services, vendors, or short-term requirements rather than a coherent strategic vision.
Such a doctrine must answer difficult questions. Where does AI assist decision-making, and where must humans retain absolute control? How are systems tested, validated, and audited before deployment? Who bears responsibility when AI-enabled systems fail or cause unintended harm?
Ethics and legality cannot be afterthoughts. Autonomous and semi-autonomous systems raise profound questions of accountability, proportionality, and compliance with the laws of armed conflict. India must codify clear principles of human oversight—not only to uphold its values, but to retain credibility in international norm-setting.
Equally critical is jointness. AI delivers maximum value when data flows seamlessly across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains. Siloed systems and incompatible data standards will squander its potential. Shared architectures, interoperable platforms, and genuinely joint operational concepts are essential.
The human dimension matters just as much. AI does not reduce the need for skilled personnel—it intensifies it. Officers and soldiers must understand AI’s strengths and limitations, question its outputs, and integrate it intelligently into operations. This demands sustained investment in education, lateral induction of technical talent, and deep partnerships with academia.
Finally, data is the fuel. Secure, high-quality, well-governed data infrastructure is non-negotiable. Without it, even the most advanced algorithms are ineffective.
Innovation, but at scale
India’s defence innovation ecosystem is promising but fragile. Start-ups can prototype rapidly, but scaling solutions into enduring military capability remains difficult.
Procurement pathways must become faster and more predictable for AI-driven systems, which evolve far quicker than traditional platforms. Defence innovation funds need deeper capitalisation to support long-gestation, high-risk projects in AI, robotics, and secure networks.
Universities and research institutions must be systematically integrated into defence R&D rather than engaged through ad hoc collaborations. In AI, talent pipelines matter as much as hardware.
If India seeks strategic autonomy in defence AI, it must invest accordingly—and consistently.
Partners, not dependence
No country can develop military AI in isolation. India’s partnerships—especially with the United States and other technologically advanced democracies—offer opportunities for joint research, co-development, and interoperability.
Such cooperation should be selective and strategic. The objective must be capability-building, not dependence. Co-production, technology transfer, and shared standards matter more than off-the-shelf acquisitions.
India should also play a proactive role in shaping international norms for military AI, advocating restraint, accountability, and meaningful human control. Norms will not deter adversaries—but they will shape coalitions, legitimacy, and strategic narratives.
What AI will not do
For all its power, AI is not a substitute for soldiers—especially in land warfare and sub-conventional conflict.
Political-military judgement, escalation management, and strategic signalling cannot be automated. Counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism depend on human interaction, cultural understanding, and moral reasoning that no algorithm can replicate.
Leadership under fire, ethical accountability for lethal decisions, and adaptation in chaotic, ambiguous environments remain uniquely human responsibilities. Soldiers follow leaders, not code.
AI is an extraordinary tool—but it must remain subordinate to human judgement.
Conclusion: The strategic choice ahead
Artificial Intelligence will shape the character of future conflict whether India is ready or not. The real choice is whether India leads, follows, or falls behind.
The foundations are being laid: operational deployments, indigenous innovation, and growing institutional awareness. What is needed now is coherence—of doctrine, governance, ethics, and investment.
If India gets this right, AI will not merely enhance military capability; it will strengthen deterrence, preserve stability, and save lives. If it gets it wrong, the cost will be measured not only in wasted resources, but in strategic vulnerability.
In the age of intelligent warfare, the decisive advantage will belong to those who can think faster—and think better—than their adversaries. India must ensure that its machines serve that purpose, and never replace the judgement that ultimately defends the nation.
(The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK)
(The writer was Vice Chief of the Indian Army. He has authored the book ‘A National Security Strategy for India – the Way Forward’)