In a bid to accelerate military decision-making—particularly in the European and Indo-Pacific regions—the Pentagon has hired Scale AI to prototype an artificial intelligence program aimed at enhancing military operations. This program will assist in planning military campaigns, testing battle scenarios, and anticipating threats, among other tasks.
The initiative, named **Thunderforge**, is designed to allow commanders to navigate evolving operational environments by utilizing advanced large language models (LLMs), AI-driven simulations, and interactive agent-based wargaming. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) announced this development on a Wednesday, highlighting its potential impact on military strategy.
Scale AI will work alongside **Anduril**, which is known for its Lattice system that synthesizes drone and sensor data to expedite combat operations, and **Microsoft**, a supplier of LLM software. The specific value of the contract between the Pentagon and Scale AI has not been disclosed.
The final product resulting from this collaboration will be deployed to the **U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM)** and the **U.S. European Command (EUCOM)**. It will be instrumental in areas such as campaign development, theater-wide resource allocation, and strategic assessment, as per DIU’s statements.
In February 2023, **Admiral Sam Paparo**, the leader of INDOPACOM, addressed the Honolulu Defense Forum, indicating that artificial intelligence could aid in monitoring Chinese activities and identifying potential threats, such as using large-scale military exercises as a cover for offensive actions. The command is developing a platform known as the **Mission Partner Environment** to allow U.S. military services and allied forces to share intelligence and produce a real-time threat picture.
Admiral Paparo highlighted the necessity of AI in managing the substantial amounts of data from various sensors and sources while ensuring its distribution to recipients with differing classification levels. “We are an AI-enabled headquarters now, using an AI large language model,” he noted in February, emphasizing that AI is not a replacement for human judgment but a tool to assist commanders. He expressed a commitment to INDOPACOM leading the way in AI adoption with the best available tools.
