Journal on Baltic Security

We educate tomorrow’s military leaders for operations involving tools we cannot access, doctrine not yet codified, and threats evolving faster than curricula. This article presents empirical findings from systematic exploration of human-AI collaboration in military education involving thirteen Baltic-Nordic defence organisations. Through AI-assisted facilitated workshops, three empirically grounded patterns of human-AI collaboration emerged alongside a command-control distinction derived from practitioner wisdom. The probe-sense-respond methodology enabled pattern discovery where traditional planning approaches fail. Findings offer transferable frameworks for professional military education institutions navigating AI integration while maintaining human primacy in command authority. Regional collaboration achieved what no single institution could accomplish independently.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly discussed as a transformative tool for professional military education, particularly through simulations, adaptive learning platforms, and data-driven assessment systems. However, the integration of AI into military education has largely proceeded without sufficient attention to gender equality, despite extensive evidence that algorithmic systems can reproduce and amplify existing social biases. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature on AI and education, feminist military studies, and international policy frameworks such as NATO’s Principles of Responsible Use and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, this article critically examines the implications of AI-supported military education from a gender perspective.

This article examines how Professional Military Education (PME) can strengthen human interoperability as NATO transitions toward data-centric warfighting. While artificial intelligence and data integration drive technological transformation, their effectiveness depends on officers’ ability to cooperate across national and institutional boundaries. The central claim of this article is that standardised heuristics – conceptual models taught in PME – function as critical cognitive tools enabling such interoperability. Using a qualitative, conceptual design, this study assesses established frameworks such as Ends-Ways-Means, fighting power, and the interoperability schema. The analysis suggests that these heuristics stabilise cognition, foster shared understanding, and anchor NATO’s digital transformation in human coherence.

NATO’s 2030 digital transformation demands innovative approaches to harness specialised capabilities and ensure readiness against hybrid threats. Cyber reserves are pivotal in bridging military and civilian technologies, enabling digital objectives, and countering sophisticated tactics like cyberattacks and GPS jamming. These reserves integrate military training with civilian expertise, leveraging private sector knowledge – controlling 90% of critical infrastructure – as a strategic asset. They serve as a force multiplier in digital transformation, connect industry and technology to military planning, and enable rapid deployment of advanced capabilities like cloud, AI, and data analytics. Cyber reserves enhance a country’s response to hybrid threats by improving vulnerability assessment, attribution, and civil-military coordination, emphasising societal resilience and military preparedness. They foster digital literacy, cultural change, and partnerships with industry and academia to strengthen holistic defence. However, challenges include standardising training, securing information exchange, and ensuring flexible service models that respect civilian commitments and national sovereignty. By addressing these, a military can calibrate cyber reserves to bolster defences and accelerate digital transformation, creating a full-spectrum, multi-domain force capable of countering 21st-century hybrid threats in both digital and physical spaces.