The US is in a technological arms race with China, Air Force secretary says, and AI could decide who wins

The Department of Defense has tracked monumental growth in the Chinese military for years, documenting investments in warships, bolstered missile capabilities and stockpiles, and advanced space and cyber assets. The US military refers to Beijing as its “pacing challenge,” putting emphasis on the Indo-Pacific.

But despite US efforts to keep up-to-date with China’s modernization, Kendall said, in some ways, “we’ve let them steal a march on us, quite frankly, in the systems they’ve fielded, that includes cruise and ballistic missiles, hypersonics,” and “hundreds of satellites designed to target our joint force,” as well as advanced battle management systems to integrate and control combat assets with a high degree of automation.

China has built up its Rocket Force, developing capabilities that put US military assets at military bases and airfields across the Indo-Pacific within striking range. Its force includes more traditional systems, as well as newer weapons, like the DF-17 hypersonic missile.

Kendall also noted some of the Chinese air force’s air-to-air missiles have the ranges to go after tankers and command-and-control aircraft, for example, which “traditionally have operated out or range of the threats and been able to operate pretty much with impunity,” he said. “That’s being erased; we don’t have that capability anymore.”

Officials said at the time that the testing marked “an important milestone” for the program and spoke to growing “confidence in the state of combat autonomy.” Previous testing of AI agents has also proven effective, with officials noting that AI programs can quickly be adjusted based on new data, scenarios, and performance.

In another example, the Marines, working with the Air Force and Navy, recently tested a “loyal wingman” experimental autonomous unmanned aerial combat vehicle alongside F-35 stealth fighters, showing how the military is pushing the manned-unmanned teaming concept “a step further” for the joint force, an official said.

As the US and other powers pursue this emerging new technology at breakneck speeds, there have been questions about what the role of AI will be in the military and future warfare. War analysts and strategists have said the US military and others need a plan for AI and autonomy sooner rather than later.