UK turns to AI and drones for brand spanking new battlefield technique

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will spend greater than £1bn to develop know-how to hurry up selections on the battlefield.

The funding can be one of many outcomes of the federal government’s long-awaited strategic defence evaluation which is because of be revealed in full on Monday.

The federal government has dedicated to elevating defence spending to 2.5% GDP from April 2027 with an ambition to extend that to three% within the subsequent parliament.

In February, the prime minister stated cuts to the international help finances could be used to fund the army increase.

Asserting the outcomes of the evaluation, the MoD stated a brand new Digital Concentrating on Net would higher join troopers on the bottom with key data supplied by satellites, plane and drones serving to them goal enemy threats quicker.

Defence Secretary John Healey stated the know-how introduced within the evaluation – which can harness Synthetic Intelligence (AI) and software program – additionally highlights classes being learnt from the conflict in Ukraine.

Ukraine is already utilizing AI and software program to hurry up the method of figuring out, after which hitting, Russian army targets.

The evaluation had been commissioned by the newly fashioned Labour authorities shortly after final yr’s election with Healey describing it because the “first of its variety”.

The federal government stated the findings could be revealed within the first half of 2025, however didn’t give an actual date.

Healey made the announcement on a go to to the MoD’s cyber headquarters in Corsham, Wiltshire.

The headquarters is the place the UK army co-ordinates their cyber actions to each forestall and to hold out cyber-attacks.

Defence officers stated over the past two years the UK’s army had confronted greater than 90,000 cyber-attacks by potential adversaries.

Assaults have been on the rise, as has their degree of sophistication, they added.

Workers at Corsham stated they’d lately helped determine and block malware despatched to UK army personnel who lately returned from working overseas.

They stated the supply of the malware was from a “recognized Russian actor”.

Each Russia and China have been linked to the rise in cyber-attacks.

Defence officers have confirmed that the UK army has additionally been conducting its personal offensive cyber-attacks.

Healey stated it confirmed the character of warfare was altering.

“The keyboard is now a weapon of conflict and we’re responding to that,” he stated.

He stated the UK wanted to be the fastest-innovating army inside the Nato alliance.

As a part of the strategic defence evaluation, the UK’s army cyber operations can be overseen by a brand new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command.

The MoD stated the Command would additionally take the lead in digital warfare, from co-ordinating efforts to intercept any adversaries communications, to jamming drones.

Healey stated the additional funding being made was attainable due to the federal government’s “historic dedication” to extend defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

Nevertheless, the Nato Secretary-Normal, Mark Rutte, is asking on allies to extend defence spending by greater than 3.5% of GDP.