Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: "Israel" won the battle but lost the war strategically and politically
Israeli media: Ben Gurion Airport's airspace closed to air traffic following missile launch from Yemen
Israeli media: Echoes of several explosions heard in central occupied territories
United States: A federal judge temporarily blocks President Donald Trump from deploying 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland
Syria: Local sources for Al-Mayadeen: An IOF patrol consisting of 4 vehicles entered the village of Suissa in the southern countryside of Quneitra
Trump on Truth Social: When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective
Trump on Truth Social: After negotiations, 'Israel' has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas
An al-Quds Brigades field commander to Al Mayadeen: We tell the enemy soldiers that we are not far from you, and you will see our faces whenever we decide to, because we are waging a harsh and complex battle of attrition
An al-Quds Brigades field commander to Al Mayadeen: The enemy is advancing toward the heart of Gaza City under the watchful eyes of our Resistance fighters with their tactics focused on valuable targets
An al-Quds Brigades field commander to Al Mayadeen: The enemy is advancing slowly and using unmanned vehicles to uncover and target combat nodes, which we are aware of

WSJ: US Army deploys pocket-sized AI to transform modern warfare

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Wall Street Journal
  • 5 Sep 2025 14:20
  • 2 Shares
5 Min Read

The US Army awarded TurbineOne a $98.9 million contract to deploy pocket-sized battlefield AI. The technology promises faster threat detection, real-time decision-making, and lessons learned from the Ukraine war.

Listen
  • x
  • WSJ: US Army deploys pocket-sized AI to transform modern warfare
    A US Army Staff Sgt demonstrates how to use the DroneBuster, a handheld device used to disable drones, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Sunland Park, New Mexico. (AP Photo/Jae C Hong)

The US Army has awarded a $98.9 million contract to San Francisco startup TurbineOne to equip soldiers with battlefield artificial intelligence, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. This groundbreaking deal represents a major shift in how American forces will fight future wars, bringing AI capabilities directly into soldiers' hands rather than relying on remote analysis centers.

WSJ highlights how today's combat environment presents unprecedented challenges. Modern warfare now moves at "blistering pace" due to the proliferation of drones and AI technology, while widespread signal jamming makes traditional communication methods unreliable.

This creates a dangerous combination: soldiers need to process vast amounts of data quickly while operating in communications blackouts.

As the Journal reports, the battlefield is "teeming with drones, in the sky, in the water and on the ground," creating both constant surveillance and an overwhelming flood of information that soldiers must analyze in seconds to identify threats and determine responses.

TurbineOne's revolutionary solution

According to WSJ, TurbineOne's software addresses these challenges by running directly on soldiers' laptops, smartphones, and drones without requiring cloud connectivity. This "on-device" approach allows individual soldiers to quickly identify enemy threats, such as drone launch sites or hidden troop positions, and make tactical decisions without depending on analysts located miles away.

The report notes that TurbineOne's AI can examine massive datasets from infrared imagery, radar, radio signals, and other sources. Soldiers can query the system for both general threat categories (like any aerial drone) and specific targets (such as particular tank models with specific weapons).

The system provides real-time location data and risk assessments, continuously updating soldiers and their AI-powered weapons as situations evolve.

Unprecedented speed and efficiency

Related News

AI boom sends China’s hardware stocks soaring

Guterres calls for strict rules on military AI at UNSC session

WSJ emphasizes the dramatic time savings this technology provides. US Army Director of Strategy and Transformation Andrew Evans told the Journal that TurbineOne compresses tasks that might take humans 20 hours, such as analyzing images covering hundreds of square miles, down to just 20 seconds.

This speed advantage is crucial to the US Army's strategic goals. As Evans explained to the Journal, the service aims to process data "10 to 25 times faster than its adversaries," viewing this capability as essential for battlefield superiority in an environment where traditional advantages are disappearing.

Learning from Ukraine's lessons

The report suggests that the US Army's decision to use offline AI software reflects hard lessons learned from the war in Ukraine. That conflict has demonstrated that future wars will likely be fought in communications blackouts, with radio links and GPS systems rendered useless by widespread jamming technology.

TurbineOne CEO Ian Kalin, a former Navy nuclear engineer, told WSJ that Ukraine presents "a bit of a dystopian reality, because if you turn on a cellphone, if you turn on a radio signal, you become a target." This reality has pushed the military away from cloud-based systems that not only become ineffective when jammed but can actually endanger users by revealing their locations.

Pentagon's new direction

WSJ notes that TurbineOne's success represents a broader shift in Pentagon procurement. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the armed services to purchase more commercial software and move away from expensive traditional weapons systems in favor of drones and AI technology.

The Army specifically received orders in April to transform into a modern force using fewer personnel and less expensive but equally lethal technology.

This represents a significant change for the Pentagon, which has historically struggled to work with young technology companies. TurbineOne achieved its contract in "just shy of four years," remarkably fast for a software startup seeking long-term Pentagon business.

Advanced capabilities and future applications

Beyond threat identification, the report reveals that TurbineOne's software can deploy and coordinate drone swarms for coordinated attacks, representing the latest evolution in drone warfare tactics being refined in Ukraine. These autonomous systems can operate with predetermined instructions for handling specific threats they encounter.

TurbineOne has also been remarkably responsive to user feedback, making over 200 software revisions in a single week while embedded with Army units.

The company, which has raised approximately $57 million in venture capital funding and carries a $300 million valuation, has already tested its software during US military exercises in Europe, the Pacific, and along the northern US border.

According to WSJ's analysis, this contract signals the military's growing appetite for technology from unproven startups that might help prepare for conflicts that "scarcely resemble prior wars."

The US Army is implementing a careful rollout strategy, deploying TurbineOne to one unit at a time, beginning with infantry and cavalry units, to stress-test the software and gather comprehensive soldier feedback.

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Drone warfare
  • modern warfare
  • US Army
  • Ukraine
  • Ukraine war
  • Pete Hegseth
  • Drones

Most Read

Hamas fighters stand in formation ahead of a ceremony to hand over Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP)

Hamas reviews Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan as PIJ rejects

  • Palestine
  • 30 Sep 2025
Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

  • West Asia
  • 30 Sep 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Trump’s 21-point Gaza plan vs Netanyahu’s demand for Hamas defeat

Trump vows 'something special' in ME; Israeli delegation in chaos

  • US & Canada
  • 28 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Activists deported to Turkey after 'Israel' hijacks Sumud Flotilla
West Asia

137 activists arrive in Turkey after 'Israel' hijacked Sumud Flotilla

Law enforcement hold back protesters near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Black Hawks and break-ins: Chicago immigration crackdown intensifies

WP: American Jews increasingly critical of 'Israel' over Gaza War
US & Canada

Majority of American Jews say 'Israel' committed war crimes in Gaza

David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, at the “Rebels With a Cause” gala in Hollywood, in 2014 (AP)
Politics

The Ellisons take US media power structure by storm, reshape industry

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS