Digitization in Ukraine's defense: A report by Kateryna Bondar

My new CSIS report — How and Why Ukraine’s Military Is Going Digital — examines how Ukraine is reengineering its wartime defense ecosystem to move beyond improvisation toward institutional capacity and scale. After three years of full-scale war, Ukraine’s decentralized innovation system—built on startups, volunteers, and rapid battlefield feedback—has proven remarkably agile but also chaotic. A famous “zoo of technologies” might deliver quick wins, yet it cannot be scaled or sustained. The report explores how the Ministry of Defence is addressing this by digitizing procurement, integrating soldier feedback directly into development cycles, and creating digital platforms like Army+ and DOT-Chain Defence to connect frontline needs with national capability building. This marks a turning point: Ukraine is transforming its wartime agility into a model of coordinated, digital-era defense governance. Read here: https://lnkd.in/eWiuZqUK #Ukraine #DefenseInnovation #DigitalTransformation #MilitaryTechnology #AI #CSIS

Fascinating to read the latest from Kateryna Bondar - especially following on the heels of a recent Reuters piece about digital troubles facing big name US defense tech companies (https://lnkd.in/ek_YSvui).

Three years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense is rapidly innovating, "integrating fast-moving, nontraditional vendors and new technologies with the institutional need for scale and standardization." CSIS Wadhwani AI Center expert Kateryna Bondar breaks down this defense digitization: https://lnkd.in/esDKpjew

🚀 A historic first for Nordic defence education This year, the Norwegian Defence University College and the Swedish Defence University (Försvarshögskolan) joined forces for the first-ever joint experiment using artificial intelligence (AI) in military planning.   As part of exercise Comprehensive Shield 2025, we explored how AI can support decision-making in complex planning situations – not just to improve efficiency, but also to understand its impact on learning, mental workload, and user experience.   🔎Curious to learn more? You can now read a brand-new open access report on the study – available to everyone. Link to the report in the comments 👇 This marks an important step in understanding how emerging technologies can shape the future of military education and operations. Congratulations to the authors 💐 Peter Bovet Emanuel | Ørjan Rogne Rise | Stig Tore Aannø | Hanna Forsberg | Anders McD Sookermany | Thomas Slensvik | Gurák Martin | Aaron P. J. Swedish Armed Forces | Forsvaret - Norwegian Armed Forces | Forsvarsstaben #AI #MilitaryEducation #Innovation #Norway #Sweden #Defence #PME #FutureWarfare #OpenAccess

Our report on using AI in operational planning and professional military education is now published! An inspiring collaboration between the Norwegian and Swedish Defence Universities (Forsvarets høgskole (FHS) and Försvarshögskolan) during the Comprehensive Shield exercise (CS25). Link to the report (open access): https://lnkd.in/dY-6PjbA Thanks to everyone involved 🙏 Looking forward to continue our studies during CS26 🚀 #AI #OperationalPlanning #learning #CS25 #CS26 #Sweden #Norway

Insightful coverage by RPR client EdgeRunner AI on Schwab Network, discussing their innovative advancements in military technology. CEO Tyler Xuan Saltsman articulates how EdgeRunner’s secure, fully offline AI platform delivers mission-critical support to military personnel, enabling enhanced decision-making capabilities even in the most austere environments. By providing AI solutions that operate without relying on internet connectivity, EdgeRunner empowers soldiers to maintain operational focus without being hindered by data overload or connectivity limitations. This technology complements existing platforms by providing unique capabilities where others cannot. #EdgeRunnerAI #DefenseInnovation #MilitaryTechnology #StrategicAdvantage #ClientSuccess #RubensteinPR Watch More: https://lnkd.in/e_v5fVJ7

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that future wars could become more dangerous as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into military systems. He said the growing use of AI raises serious risks for peace and stability. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dGPXaBrS . . #Brandsynario #KhawajaAsif #UN #AIWarfare (Khawaja Asif, UN, AI Warfare)

🧠 How do stress, fatigue, and cognitive overload impact vigilance and decision-making in the military? 👉 Our article in Les Cahiers de la Revue de la Défense Nationale (RDN) explores how MindPulse, a 15-minute digital test powered by advanced models, AI and Decision Diffusion Models (DDM), helps assess vulnerabilities and adaptability in real conditions. 📖 “MindPulse: a new tool to measure decision-making abilities and vigilance level” Authors: Sandra Suarez & Bertrand Eynard – RDN, March 2025 (pp. 164–172) ➡️ Read the article in English : https://lnkd.in/ePn5dGAi ➡️ Read the article in French : https://lnkd.in/erB8DTQE Access the special issue on “The Augmented Soldier – Cognitive Overload: Understanding and Managing It” in La Revue de la Défense Nationale: https://lnkd.in/ds2C2ac3 #Cognition #DecisionMaking #Military #Defense #Innovation #ArtificialIntelligence #HumanPerformance #MindPulse

Mentorship EW: The Challenge: To achieve dominance in the modern battlespace, the U.S. Army must move beyond its traditional, signals-intelligence-focused approach to Electronic Warfare (EW). The core challenge is integrating a holistic, all-source intelligence picture (fusing human, satellite, and signals intelligence, etc.) and making it actionable at the speed of combat, a tempo that overwhelms current analytical processes. The Solution: The path forward is to develop and deploy an AI-driven cognitive engine at the tactical edge. This system would continuously ingest and fuse all seven layers of intelligence in near real-time, providing commanders and EW operators with decision-quality recommendations. This AI-enabled approach bridges the gap between high-level intelligence (Title 50) and tactical action (Title 10), transforming data into immediate operational effects. The Payoff: By operationalizing all-source intelligence at machine speed, the Army can achieve true spectrum dominance. This provides a decisive decision advantage over near-peer adversaries, ensures the effective targeting of threats while protecting friendly forces, and represents a necessary evolution in doctrine, technology, and personnel to win in future conflicts. #ElectronicWarfare #EW #MilitaryInnovation #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #MachineLearning #ArmyModernization #NationalSecurity #DefenseTech #JADC2 #AUSA2025 #SpectrumDominance #FutureOfWarfare https://lnkd.in/etGPtqyf

As AI technology becomes adopted around the world, its use in everyday life is increasing. However, in the highly secure environments of military operations, there are some challenges in its deployment. Understanding how can it be used to benefit operations is a key way to help in implementing the technology at all levels of command. Download our ebook to find out more about how AI can be used to support and augment military operations here: https://hubs.ly/Q03KXVzr0 #AI #C4ISR #DefenseTechnology #