Army to prepare for 'modern warfare' with £2bn AI training

ByPaul BaltropPolitical Editor for the West of EnglandReporting fromSalisbury Plain and Kirsten RobertsonWiltshire

The British Army will use artificial intelligence (AI) to better prepare for "modern warfare" after a new £2bn contract was signed, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced.

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis visited Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire earlier to confirm a new training system, featuring AI, advanced analytics and virtual environments.

Jarvis said the investment would create 270 jobs in Wiltshire and support 420 across the UK over the next 15 years.

He told the BBC: "It is really important, given the rapid transformation and technology we are seeing in Ukraine and elsewhere, that our soldiers have the training to employ the kit they are going to need to be successful on the battlefield."

The MoD said 60,000 soldiers a year would be trained using AI and analytics to "build a more lethal, combat ready British Army".

During his Salisbury Plain visit Jarvis, a former Army officer who was based in Wiltshire, met with soldiers and was shown their latest equipment.

He continued: "This is £2bn of investment which will provide increased training capabilities for the next 15 years.

"It's about making sure we've got the latest state-of-the-art technology so the training we conduct is as realistic as possible.

"It is really important to me that everyone is properly prepared."

A total of 100 apprenticeships will also be developed through the investment package, in partnership with Wiltshire College and the University of Staffordshire.

The MoD said the roles would cover disciplines from data and modelling to project management.

Overall, the new system would help to deliver on the MoD's ambition to increase the Armed Forces' readiness and progress transformation, it said.

Simulation, live systems and analytics will be used as part of the new technology to enable soldiers to train anywhere at anytime.

The training will use AI to replicate the complexity of modern warfare, according to the MoD, as well as spotting patterns, monitoring performance and supporting decision making.

"UK soldiers will be better prepared for modern warfare with a new training system that uses AI, advanced analytics and virtual environments to ready troops for rapidly evolving battlefields," it said.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a £15bn increase in military spending.

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