The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On The Military Decision-Making Process And Mission Command

The progressive integration of artificial intelligence (AI) transforms military command across doctrinal, procedural, and cultural dimensions. AI reshapes the balance between centralisation and decentralisation across command levels. Using Col. John Boyd’s OODA Loop as a generic model of the military decision-making process (MDMP), it is possible to see how AI influences each step of decision-making—from information gathering to tactical execution—and assesses its implications for Mission Command (MC) as a decentralised leadership philosophy. Western militaries, with their longstanding tradition of decentralised decision-making, may be particularly well-positioned to harness AI as a tool of empowerment rather than surveillance.