Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 25, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 25, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe German army, led by Lt. Gen. Christian Freuding, aims to accelerate wartime decision-making using AI to analyze battlefield data—drawing on Ukraine’s experience—and intends AI as a human-in-the‑loop advisory aid aligned with NATO standards.
By Sabine Siebold
BERLIN, March 25 (Reuters) - The German army is working to accelerate wartime decision-making through artificial intelligence tools capable of analysing battlefield data more rapidly than humans, drawing lessons from Ukrainian and other forces, its commander told Reuters.
Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, who became army chief last October after years of overseeing Germany's arms supplies to Kyiv, shared his insights from visits to Ukrainian command posts where drones and modern sensors have drastically increased the volume of battlefield data.
"The Ukrainians exploit data which they have collected over four years of war. Based on this data, the AI can deduce how the enemy has acted in similar situations in the past - and recommend countermeasures," he said.
He noted that tasks now requiring hundreds of personnel and days to complete could be sped up significantly through AI, adding that conventional methods alone would never be enough to "break the adversary's decision-making cycle".
Freuding suggested utilising data from Ukraine and from German military exercises when training analytical tools, ensuring alignment with Germany's operational principles.
Addressing ethical concerns, he emphasised that AI would serve only as an advisory tool to facilitate human decision-making.
"The task of taking analytical and balanced decisions will always remain with the human, with the soldier," he said, adding that while a specific AI product is yet to be selected, the technology's deployment is a priority.
Freuding underscored the importance of aligning Germany's AI systems with NATO's evolving standards. He did not rule out a European-developed system, but said American solutions might offer practical advantages due to their advanced deployment.
"Personally, I think it's important that we get something up and running quickly. Of course, issues like data sovereignty and security need to be taken into account," he added.
The U.S. army is fielding the AI tool Maven, made by the Silicon Valley company Palantir, to process battlefield data, including imagery and video, to improve situational awareness and speed up decision-making.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold, editing by Andrei Khalip)
The German army is developing AI tools to analyze battlefield data rapidly, speeding up decision-making compared to conventional methods.
The army is drawing from Ukraine's use of drones and sensors to collect data, using AI to learn from past enemy actions and recommend countermeasures.
No, AI will serve only as an advisory tool. Final analytical and balanced decisions will always be made by human soldiers.
While no specific product is chosen, the German army is considering both European and American AI solutions, such as the U.S. tool Maven by Palantir.
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