Industry views
05 Jun 2025
by SJ Green

AI for National Security: A Strategic Imperative for Growth and Innovation

By SJ Green, Strategic Technology Advisor | AI for National Security, Defence & Emerging Technology at KPMG #NatSec2025

SJ Green

SJ Green

Strategic Technology Advisor | AI for National Security, Defence & Emerging Technology, KPMG

“The UK’s national security community is standing at a strategic crossroads. AI is no longer an emerging technology — it’s the defining technology of our time”

The UK’s national security community is standing at a strategic crossroads. AI is no longer an emerging technology — it’s the defining technology of our time. We must embed AI into our thinking, decision making and how we operate, we risk losing ground not just in Defence capability, but in global relevance. Securing the long-term strategic advantage in a world shaped by rapid technological change is more than adopting new tools, it’s a mindset and policy shift to ensure AI is at the core of our digital transformation agenda.

Enabling Inclusive, Scalable AI Transformation

AI’s full potential will only be realised if adoption is inclusive — across people, institutions, and the wider innovation ecosystem.

  1. Upskill across the workforce: AI literacy is not just about coders or data scientists. Intelligence analysts, operators, and commanders at all levels require practical AI understanding. Programmes that build familiarity with AI outputs, limitations, and interfaces will be key to widespread adoption.
  2. Open the door: Some of the most promising AI breakthroughs are happening in UK startups and research labs — but the system often keeps them at arm’s length. Security-heavy procurement processes and overly cautious acquisition cycles make it hard for new players to engage.
  3. Turn responsible AI from principle to practice: The UK has a real opportunity to lead on ethical AI — but it won’t happen through policy statements alone. We need to hardwire transparency, explainability, and bias mitigation into every stage of an AI system’s lifecycle, especially where it supports mission-critical decisions.

AI as a Catalyst for Better, Faster National Security Decisions

The greatest value of AI in national security lies in decision advantage — the ability to act faster, more accurately, and with greater foresight than adversaries.

  1. Intelligence and surveillance: AI lets us cut through the noise — fast. Whether it’s satellite feeds, open-source data, or social media chatter, AI can fuse it all together to spot patterns, flag risks early, and support smarter attribution – giving analysts sharper tools.
  2. Command and control: In complex multi-domain environments, AI-powered tools help model risks, simulate outcomes, and put options on the table.
  3. Cyber Defence: Machine learning is already used to detect anomalies, predict breaches, and automate triage. As threats scale, AI will be at the core of Cyber Defence.
  4. Strategic foresight: AI isn’t just tactical — it helps at the strategic level too. Wargaming, red-teaming, and scenario modelling powered by AI let leaders test assumptions, stress-test decisions, and explore escalation pathways before a crisis hits.

The Emerging AI Technologies That Will Define the Next Decade

Beyond current use cases, several disruptive AI capabilities are rapidly moving toward operational maturity. The national security community must prepare to adopt — and counter — the following:

  1. Generative AI for red teaming and intelligence: Language models are already being deployed for multilingual analysis, information ops simulation, and cognitive load reduction. But they also bring risks, from hallucinations to adversarial manipulation.
  2. Cognitive AI and human-machine teaming: Future AI systems won’t just process data — they’ll read context, learn intent, and operate alongside humans in real decision loops. That demands serious work on trust, interoperability, and assurance frameworks that hold up under pressure.
  3. Edge AI in contested environments: Whether on drones, uncrewed vehicles, or satellites, AI at the edge enables real-time analysis in bandwidth-constrained or denied settings, reducing decision latency and increasing survivability.
  4. Autonomous mission systems: The real advantage will come from modular, adaptable systems that can pivot in real time, operate under constraint, and come with built-in safeguards by design, not as an afterthought.

Conclusion: Embedding AI into the Heart of Strategy

The UK’s refreshed National Security Strategy presents a unique opportunity to align the Defence, technology, and innovation communities; helping us strengthen partnerships across government, industry, and academia. AI must be treated, not as an optional upgrade — but as the connective tissue of our digital future. With inclusive leadership, mission-focused adoption, and responsible design, the UK can become a global benchmark for AI-enabled security and economic resilience.

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Authors

SJ Green

SJ Green

Strategic Technology Advisor | AI for National Security, Defence & Emerging Technology, KPMG

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