TLDR: International allies and partners are increasingly deploying artificial intelligence to revolutionize defense coordination, particularly in tactical communications and command networks across the Indo-Pacific. This integration aims to improve interoperability, accelerate decision-making, and enhance operational resilience through AI-enabled tools, autonomous systems, and advanced data processing. Nations like South Korea, India, and Singapore are making significant strides, while the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is actively developing and testing AI systems to maintain a strategic edge.
In a significant shift towards modernizing global defense strategies, international allies and partners are rapidly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance defense coordination and tactical communications, particularly across the vast and strategically critical Indo-Pacific region. This widespread adoption of AI is aimed at fortifying multidomain command networks, improving interoperability, and enabling rapid decision-making in complex and contested environments.
AI is emerging as a crucial force multiplier for coalition interoperability and operational resilience. The United States, alongside its allies and partners, is actively deploying AI-enabled tools to streamline defense efforts. Bob Stephenson, USINDOPACOM’s director of requirements and resources, highlighted the immediate applications, stating in May 2025, “We’re using [AI] now for courses-of-action assessment. We eventually want to get it to help us realize what’s going on in the fight, how we’re doing.”
Several nations are at the forefront of this technological integration:
South Korea is making significant advancements in autonomous drone relays and AI-enhanced communications through robust public-private partnerships. According to Tae Yeon Eom, a research scholar at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, major defense contractors such as Hanwha Aerospace, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and KAI (Korea Aerospace Industries) are actively investing in and collaborating with leading AI startups. A notable initiative involves telecommunications operator SK Telecom partnering with four domestic firms to develop a next-generation communication relay drone. These drones leverage AI, computing, and low-frequency bands to ensure continuous command and control (C2) links in remote or challenging areas.
India has deployed integrated air defense command systems, exemplified by its Akashteer vehicle-mounted air defense architecture. This system can autonomously track threats for rapid engagement, facilitating a shift “from passive defense to proactive retaliation,” as stated by India’s Defence Ministry. By late 2024, more than 100 Akashteer units had been deployed, underscoring the scale of AI integration.
Singapore is also advancing secure AI-powered communications. In March 2025, the Singapore Defence Ministry announced a deal with U.S.-based technology firm Oracle to establish cloud computing and AI infrastructure. This partnership aims to enable the use of generative AI and video analysis tools within secure, classified environments.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is driving similar initiatives, including the deployment of its Thunderforge AI system. Developed with U.S. firms Scale AI, Microsoft, and Anduril, Thunderforge was utilized during the 2025 Pacific Sentry command post exercise to assist commanders in making decisions based on simulated data. Furthermore, USINDOPACOM and the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit launched the 2025 Blue Object Management Challenge, seeking tools that fuse sensors, databases, and AI to improve the tracking and coordination of friendly forces.
In Japan, defense planners view AI as an enabler rather than an independent game changer, supporting existing capabilities, as noted by Hiroyasu Harada, an analyst with Tokyo-based Crisis Intelligence.
Beyond specific national efforts, organizations like NATO’s Allied Command Transformation are spearheading broader initiatives to harness AI for collective security. Their goal is to achieve a digitally transformed, data-driven, Multi-Domain Operations-enabled Alliance by 2030, emphasizing data as a strategic asset and prioritizing the development of an AI-literate workforce.
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While the promise of AI in defense is immense, challenges remain. These include integrating AI with legacy infrastructure, addressing data fragmentation and algorithmic bias, overcoming a shortage of skilled AI personnel, and navigating ethical considerations, particularly concerning autonomous systems. Despite these hurdles, the future outlook positions AI as a critical force multiplier, reshaping defense doctrines, capabilities, and alliances through increased collaboration between defense agencies, private tech firms, and academic institutions.
