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DOW To Become an 'AI-First' Warfighting Force

U.S. defense officials look to separate further away from their adversaries to decisively win the race to artificial intelligence dominance.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Eric Granados launches an RQ-20 Puma during a Dead Center small unmanned aircraft system training event at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 20, 2025. Dead Center is an artificial intelligence-enabled system that enhances the ability of operators of small unmanned aircraft systems to perform a range of surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Credit: Marine Corps Sgt. Trent A. Henry

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. Department of War’s (DOW's) plans to prioritize artificial intelligence (AI) across the entire warfighting force. This emphasis on AI will increase the United States’ lead over opponents in the AI space and expedite its goal to be AI dominant within the military globally, Hegseth said in a memorandum.

Pentagon officials will achieve an AI-first armed force through four main courses of action.

Firstly, DOW personnel will unbind testing and evaluation of America’s best and most advanced and effective AI models across the department, along with reimagining and refurbishing existing technologies to integrate AI into their systems. Hegseth said the department will reward those companies and individuals who reconceptualize traditional equipment.

Plus, the department will look to fervently locate and remove any bureaucratic red tape that is preventing crews from further AI integration.

Hegseth also highlighted the need for the DOW to stress investing in key areas, such as AI computing, model innovation, entrepreneurial dynamism, capital markets and combat-proven operational data from two decades of military and intelligence operations.

Lastly, Pentagon officials will strive to carry out several pace-setting projects (PSPs). This concept will help developers stay on schedule.

Hegseth listed seven initial PSPs: Swarm Forge, Agent Network, Ender’s Foundry, Open Arsenal, Project Grant, GenAI.mil and Enterprise Agents. These endeavors will establish the department’s new execution standard of single accountable leaders, aggressive timelines, measurable outcomes and rapid iteration where failure accelerates learning and improvement, according to the memorandum.

This work is being done in accordance with Executive Order 14179: Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, which eliminates established AI policies and directives that prevent Americans from furthering AI development. President Donald Trump signed the executive order into law January 23, 2025.

“The time is now to accelerate AI integration, and we will put the full weight of the department’s leadership, resources and expanding corps of private sector partners into accelerating America’s military AI dominance,” Hegseth said in the memorandum. “Becoming an AI-first warfighting force requires more than integrating AI into existing workflows. It requires reimagining how existing workflows, processes, tactics, techniques and procedures, and operational concepts would be designed if current AI technology existed when they were created and then reinventing them accordingly.”

“We must drive this transformation across every aspect of the department,” Hegseth added. “The expectations outlined above must be technological 'AI fitness standards' for our Joint Force. 2026 will be the year we emphatically raise the bar for military AI dominance.”