Military Operational Thinking in an Age of Artificial Intelligence

Military planners are experiencing a persistent unease that, despite new AI tools, operational plans lack coherence and a shared sense of direction. This issue may not be a decline in operational art, but rather a tension between different traditions of military thinking that are being impacted by AI's influence on planning. The analysis contrasts the Anglo-American analytical approach, the German tradition of situational judgment, and the Soviet method of systemic pressure to illustrate how different doctrines frame problems. As AI increasingly shapes planning, it may privilege certain ways of thinking while obscuring other crucial perspectives on achieving operational success.