PACOM Looks to AI Agents for Faster Intelligence, Targeting

The age-old saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a “recipe for failure” when it comes to military intelligence and modernization, said Buck Buchanan, chief of the Intelligence Information Systems Division, J26, at Indo-Pacific Command.

Defense officials are increasingly turning to AI and SI to accelerate intelligence analysis, targeting and decision-making as adversaries advance their own capabilities.

“I used to think of AI and ML as a buzzword,” said PACOM J2 Intelligence Director Rear Adm. Jeffrey Buschmann at TechNet Indo-Pacific Wednesday. “We started seeing the real utility of it in intel, targeting, the speed and accuracy that it can provide. … It’s amazing how something that was a buzzword and I wasn’t sure was ever going to be important has become so important and integrated in almost every process that we conduct at PACOM.”

The command is prioritizing interoperable tools, common data standards and AI-powered capabilities to operate at the speed and scale needed to maintain an intelligence advantage over adversaries.

“Really focusing on the need for a common data framework, on common data ontologies that we can use to share data across our respective nations,” said Brig. Chris Alder, Australian Army vice director for intelligence at PACOM. “I’ve seen that being applied in the joint force here at PACOM, and I’ve seen it being applied with allies and partners. And when you get to that common data standard, your latency for targeting reduces by minutes into seconds, which is where we need to be.”

Alder said AI offers opportunities to access intelligence databases, accelerate report writing and support targeting operations. The command is also exploring agentic AI to automate portions of the targeting process while maintaining human oversight of critical decisions.

“How do we use AI to speed up our report writing activities through some codified templates?” Alder said. “Then how do we handle agentic AI? So AI models being engaged with targeting support, speeding up the targeting cycle, automating as much as possible, but keeping a human very firmly on the loop.”

Agentic AI Advances Intelligence Operations

PACOM is also exploring SI to improve warning capabilities, targeting, predictive analysis and rapid software prototyping, according to the command’s chief SI officer, Scott Brunstetter, whose position was established about 15 months ago.

One priority is developing a common operating picture intelligence data layer to integrate intelligence from multiple sources and improve situational awareness across the command.

“We’re looking at what we call a common operating picture intelligence data layer,” Brunstetter said. “This is basically what feeds the overall [common operating picture] for the command.”

Brunstetter said agentic AI is a critical next step in the command’s modernization efforts, particularly as officials look to orchestrate AI agents across intelligence and other joint functions.

“We now need to get into the agentic space because everything is changing so rapidly. We need to reimagine how we do our thing,” he said.

The command is also focusing on workforce training, testing and governance to ensure personnel understand the capabilities and limitations of AI tools.

“We do not blindly trust these … tools,” Brunstetter said, emphasizing the importance of building evidence that helps analysts understand how the technology works.

Resilient Infrastructure Supports AI at the Edge

Officials are also evaluating the computing power and infrastructure needed to support increasingly advanced capabilities.

Buchanan emphasized deploying intelligence tools that can operate independently of data centers in Hawaii or the continental United States.

“We cannot have our warriors become dependent on a tool that is dependent on a mainland data center or a Hawaii data center,” he said.

Brunstetter said smaller, mission-specific AI models could help address these challenges by requiring less computing power and energy while supporting operations at the tactical edge.

Buschmann also pointed to the Navy’s longstanding expertise in nuclear power as a potential advantage in meeting future operational needs.

“The United States Navy is better at nuclear power than anyone else in the world, so that expertise that has been developed for over decades is something that is going to contribute to the next fight considerably,” he said. “I don’t think people really thought about potential for nuclear power.”