AI in Defense Weekly (10/30/25)
DeepSeek + PLA and UKR's 9,000 drones/day at the top.
DeepSeek, China & the Era of War
The Reuters piece “How China could use DeepSeek and AI for an era of war” (via investigations into PLA procurement and agent-capable models) signals a tectonic shift: China is not only developing large language/agent models but explicitly tying them into military systems. The key takeaway: the race is no longer about building a chatbot—it’s about embedding AI in platforms, sensors and doctrine. For the national-security community that means we must treat AI model-sovereignty, export control and supply-chain resilience as front-line issues, not back-office housekeeping. Once adversaries link models + edge compute + autonomy, the decision tempo advantage created by the U.S. and allies narrows dramatically.
Ukraine’s 9,000-Drone-a-Day Campaign
Ukraine Says It Deploys About 9,000 Drones a Day to Fight RussiaAI-based drone operation tech to be co-developed by Hyundai Rotem, Shield AI - Military Embedded Systems (Military Embedded Systems). It’s not a future concept—it’s happening now. For defense planners the message is visceral: convergence of mass unmanned assets + autonomy + mission-tailored logistics is rewriting force structure. The U.S./NATO community should ask: How many drones do we presume our adversary can field? What AI-enabled decisions will they make before we even know we’re threatened?
U.S. DOE / AMD $1 B Supercomputer Partnership
The Reuters story, “The U.S. Department of Energy teaming with AMD to build two AI-focused supercomputers,” marks the moment when the “AI arms race” intersects with exascale compute and national-security compute infrastructure. This is not just about faster chips—it’s about sovereign compute capacity for modeling nuclear, fusion, advanced materials and defense systems. For the national-security community this underscores that dominance will hinge not only on algorithms but on the scale, network and architecture of compute at home.
How AI Cracked an 84-Year WWII Mystery
Investigators used archival work plus AI (facial-recognition, pattern analysis) to identify a former SS teacher as an executioner in “How AI Cracked an 84-Year WWII Mystery — And What it Means for Future Warfare” (Military.com). This may seem historical, but the broader point is operational. The implications for war-crime investigation, battlefield forensics, ISR, and attribution are profound.
Implication: Intelligence organizations should accelerate AI-enabled forensic capabilities and fusion of open-source/historical data. But they must also grapple with legal, ethica,l and oversight frameworks as adversaries mirror these capabilities with fewer constraints.
From AROC to CORA: Army Uses AI-Enabled Tool to Slash Acquisition Requirements
The Breaking Defense article “Exclusive: US Department of Energy forms $1 billion supercomputer and AI partnership with AMD” reveals that the United States Army has deployed an AI tool to identify and cancel hundreds of outdated requirements (over 500 selected for inactivation). This is proof that AI isn’t just a war-fighter asset—it’s a force multiplier in bureaucracy. For the national-security leader, this offers two lenses: one operational and one organizational.
What federal buyers need to succeed with AI-enabled procurement (NextGov/FCW). A commentary in NextGov/FCW outlines key lessons: success isn’t about buying tools—it’s about workforce development, process reform, and data ecosystem readiness. For national-security procurement, the key message is blunt: don’t let the tail wag the dog. A system can only deliver if the people, processes, and governance are aligned.
Other Articles Worth Reviewing (briefly)
AI-based drone operation tech to be co-developed by Hyundai Rotem, Shield AI | Military Embedded Systems. Shows coalition industrial base beginning to modularize autonomy stacks.
A Guide to Collaborating With AI in the Military Classroom | War On The Rocks - important note on human-machine teaming and how defense education must evolve.
Preventing Blind Trust: U.S.-China Cooperation on Military AI Judgment | Modern Diplomacy - a detour into ethics, cooperation, and adversarial judgment in AI.
South Korea accelerates AI Push in next-generation weapons programs | Korea Herald - Asia-Pacific allies visibly stepping up autonomy/integration efforts.
The Coming AI Cataclysm | RealClearDefense) – provocative op-ed, less a field update than a philosophical glance at risk and responsibility.
COMMENTARY: AI Not a Replacement for Human Engineers | National Defense Magazine – reminds us that the people behind the tools still matter; humans and machines, not machines alone.