AI and Battlefield Superiority: Decision Velocity, Sensor Dominance, and the Transformation of Combat Power

The first part of my Quad Strategic Series — “AI and the Future of Indian Defence Forces (2026–2036)” — is now released.

This paper examines a fundamental shift underway in modern warfare.

“In the age of Artificial Intelligence, the decisive advantage will belong not to the force that moves first, but to the force that understands first — and decides with disciplined speed.”

Battlefield superiority is no longer defined merely by platform strength, firepower density, or visible technological assets. In the AI era, superiority is being redefined by - Decision velocity, Sensor dominance, Precision under adaptive conditions, Sustainment intelligence, and Resilient architecture.

Artificial Intelligence is not just enhancing weapons. It is restructuring the tempo of command, compressing the decision loop, and transforming how perception becomes action.

This paper explores:

• How AI compresses the Observe–Orient–Decide–Act cycle
• How cognitive sensor fusion redefines situational awareness
• How missile guidance and fire control systems gain adaptive intelligence
• How logistics and sustainment become strategic multipliers
• The deterministic factors that will decide whether AI becomes a multiplier or a vulnerability
• The Indian operational imperative in architecting AI-enabled superiority

In an era where milliseconds compress escalation and ambiguity shapes outcomes, superiority can no longer be measured only in platforms or payloads. It must be measured in clarity of perception, integrity of data, coherence of architecture, and the disciplined velocity of command decisions. The forces that architect intelligence deliberately will not merely respond to conflict — they will shape its tempo.

The future battlefield will reward clarity over chaos, cognition over noise, and velocity over volume.

“Future wars will not be won by mass alone — they will be shaped by clarity, cognition, and the speed of validated decision.”

AI will not decide wars — but it will decide who decides faster.

This paper is not speculative futurism. It is a structured assessment of how architecture, sovereignty, resilience and disciplined integration will shape India’s battlefield advantage over the next decade.

Part II will examine how AI rewires defence doctrine, procurement models and indigenous systems architecture. Serious transformation demands serious conversation.

Contributed by Commander Prasad YVV, IN-Sr. Veteran

Founder and Managing Director of Prasad Consulting Hyd (India)