CSS Web Talk «Caught Between: Traditional Defence Bureaucracies and the Rise of AI-Driven Warfare»

Military technology is advancing at a speed that established defence institutions struggle to match. Drones, AI-enabled targeting, autonomous systems, commercial space infrastructure, and software-defined capabilities can evolve within months. Doctrine, procurement systems, force structures, and military organisations often take years - or decades - to change. The result is a widening gap between the changing character of warfare and the capacity of defence institutions to respond. Defence innovation is consequently caught between two powerful forces. On one side, traditional defence bureaucracies remain anchored in legacy platforms, established procedures, institutional interests, and a deeply ingrained aversion to risk. On the other, technology companies increasingly shape the capabiliti