Today’s warfighters face a complex and changing environment driven by new technology and evolving enemy threats, particularly from atypical non-state actors. The techno battlefield generates an enormous amount of data, and effectively managing it is critical for survivability and strategic advantage. However, the real advantages entail making sense of the data, hence the need for advanced analytics.
New analytical tools help turn raw data into actionable intelligence, which informs decision-making across the DoD enterprise. In fact, it has been an integral part of its acquisition strategy since 2022. "Accelerating the adoption of these technologies presents an unprecedented opportunity to equip leaders at all levels of the Department with the data they need, and harness the full potential of the decision-making power of our people," the Pentagon stated.
These insights are vital for ensuring the operational efficiency required for mission success at a time of enormous unpredictability for global conflicts. Here are four ways to harness the power of analytics and AI across the DoD.
Intelligence comes from a wide array of sources, including satellites, drones, crewless sensors, and human intelligence. Advanced analytics capture and integrate that information into a common operational picture for enhanced situational awareness.
A principal tool of advanced analytics is using AI and machine learning to detect patterns, find high-value targets, and predict threats. Fusing the data helps ease the cognitive load by filtering the signal from the noise, leading to faster and more accurate decision-making.
Left unchecked, that cognitive load could be unmanageable. As the Center for Strategic and International Studies envisions it: “If the United States invests now in technology transformation, the intelligence analyst of 2030 will be able to look back at the analyst of 2020 with incredulity and even pity.
“Armed with world-leading AI, cutting-edge data analytics, and unlimited cloud computing power, the analyst will maintain almost continual awareness of their target operational environment. They will rapidly surface, fuse, visualize, and action high-quality data across the information spectrum, from open-source to highly classified information.”
AI and data analytics are helping drive that change in perspective. These new tools enable proactive responses to enemy tactics, helping militaries gain the upper hand, achieve mission objectives, and limit casualties.
It is critical for mission planning to have a 360-degree view of the battlefield, including details about terrain and weather conditions, the size of opposing forces, and their projected maneuvers.
Using historical data and real-time inputs, AI models and analytics can help forecast enemy actions and optimize battlefield strategies. The application of technology for predictive analysis helps identify potential ambush sites, supply route vulnerabilities, and optimal troop deployment locations, giving commanders a tactical edge.
Militaries are using analytics so warfighters and their commanders can simulate various scenarios, stay one step ahead of the enemy, and forecast future tactical maneuvers. In doing so, the DoD is adapting predictive analysis practices from the corporate world, which has long used predictive analysis for commercial purposes, as the Army pointed out in a 2025 article. The military’s adoption of corporate predictive models hinges on its ability to harness vast amounts of data, similar to how corporations predict market trends and optimize their operations.
Advanced analytics provide greater lethality and survivability by transforming reactive operations into proactive, data-driven strategies that reduce risk and increase mission success.
Military leaders have few easy moments when a mission is underway. They are often called to make high-stakes decisions under extreme time pressure, with little opportunity to evaluate fast-changing reports from the front.
Analytics deliver decision-support tools that analyze the complexities of vast amounts of data to suggest optimal courses of action. Using AI and machine learning, troops can help evaluate variables like troop availability, resource allocation, enemy positions, and environmental factors, generating actionable scenarios.
The US Air Force demonstrated how this might work in a 2020 exercise that put AI onboard a military plane for the first time. During the mission, an AI algorithm operated the radar systems of a U-2 reconnaissance plane. The model came out of the U-2 Federal Laboratory, according to an Air Force statement on the test. It received training on specific tasks that would typically be on a military pilot's to-do list. It was specifically designed to communicate with sensors, enabling the pilots to focus elsewhere.
The US Army considers predictive analytics essential for addressing logistics challenges, particularly in predicting vulnerabilities where enemies may disrupt the flow of supplies. Successful military missions depend on getting materials, equipment, and personnel to the right places at the right time.
Advanced analytic tools streamline logistics by predicting demand, optimizing routes, and reducing inefficiencies. AI-driven tools analyze factors like fuel consumption, weather conditions, and potential threats to recommend the most efficient methods and schedules.
By automating inventory management and tracking assets in real time, these systems ensure that critical resources are always available where and when needed, reducing delays and costs. Data fusion "allows military planners to develop robust contingency plans and respond swiftly to dynamic battlefield conditions," the Army says.
Advanced analytics enable militaries to make sense of vast amounts of tactical data from sensors and human intelligence. Understanding today's evolving military capabilities requires fresh perspectives across the DoD enterprise, including procurement organizations. These need the right partners to help them identify, evaluate, test, and validate new sensors and AI capabilities.
Sumaria Systems is a reliable and trusted industry partner offering AI services that include advisory, assistance, and advanced analytics. With over forty years of experience, Sumaria has steadily improved its analytic capabilities with AI through research and development. DOD leaders can make rapid, well-informed decisions and gain a competitive edge by expertly leveraging high-quality data, advanced analytics, and AI.
