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AI-Powered Super Soldiers Are More Than Just a Pipe Dream
The US military has abandoned its half-century dream of a suit of powered armor in favor of a “hyper enabled operator,” a tactical AI assistant for special operations forces.
This is one of many potential scenarios repeatedlypresented by Defense Department officials in recent years when discussing the future of US special operations forces, those elite troops tasked with facing the world’s most complex threats head-on as the “tip of the spear” of the US military. Indeed, rather than augmenting warfighters deployed to active combat zones, SOCOM officials envision something more like a casually dressed operator vacuuming up information on a busy urban avenue through a Google Glass-like eyepiece and sizing up the situation—in other words, more James Bond than Tony Stark. “The JATF is currently working with industry partners to reduce the size of the hardware and transition it into a SOF Program Executive Office for eventual fielding.” (And that language translation may not be restricted to a mobile device for long: According to SOCOM’s fiscal year 2025 budget request published in March, the command is still plowing ahead with head-mounted sensors and an augmented-reality HUD to present these functions right before operators’ eyes.)
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