Without a Standard for Autonomy, the U.S. Military Will Get Lost in the Fog of War

The U.S. military's adoption of autonomous systems is being hindered by a lack of shared definitions and standards across the defense industrial base. This ambiguity creates confusion, prevents interoperability between different military branches, and could lead to perilous consequences in a crisis scenario like a conflict over the Taiwan Strait. To accelerate progress, the Pentagon must establish a common language and standardize a key technical layer for autonomy, similar to how the USB standard unified computer peripherals. Building operator trust through education and early integration is also critical for the successful deployment of these advanced capabilities.