Australia leveraging human-machine teaming to strengthen defense posture

Peter Parson

Amid intensifying strategic competition and evolving hybrid threats in the Indo-Pacific, Australia is rapidly advancing its investment in human-machine teaming (HMT), leveraging the potential for convergence of personnel and systems to enhance operational readiness, improve decision-making and bolster deterrence.

Building on a strategy unveiled in 2022, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is integrating artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems and crewed-uncrewed teaming technologies across its services, potentially reshaping the character of warfare in the region.

Central to the transformation are platforms such as the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, an AI-enabled, uncrewed aerial vehicle that supports crewed aircraft in surveillance and electronic warfare missions. On the ground, uncrewed systems are being deployed for autonomous surveillance in remote border regions, significantly reducing the personnel footprint. At sea, the Ghost Shark, a stealthy autonomous underwater vehicle, is advancing intelligence and strike capabilities.

“Human-machine teaming is transforming military operations by pairing the speed and precision of AI with the critical thinking, adaptability and contextual judgment of human operators,” according to Chris Mills, director of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Defence Research Institute, and Dr. Alex Antic, deputy director of the UNSW AI Institute. “Together, this partnership enables faster, more informed, effective and resilient operations — which is particularly vital in the dynamic and contested Indo-Pacific theater.”

The ADF’s strategy includes experimentation under the trilateral AUKUS framework with the United Kingdom and the United States, such as the Trusted Operation of Robotic Vehicles in a Contested Environment (TORVICE) trials, which tested uncrewed ground vehicles under electronic warfare stressors, and the AI Strategic Challenge, which explored AI applications in real-time object detection and cooperative operations.

HMT is redefining military tactics, particularly through the deployment of low-cost, high-performance drone swarms, according to Glen Schafer, chief executive of Trusted Autonomous Systems, an Australian defense research center.

“Machines can operate in places too risky for humans and can be easily replicated, offering advantages of scalability,” Schafer told FORUM. “The synthesis of these abilities within human-machine teams leads to higher quality and timely situational awareness, and mission adaptability and effectiveness.”

Strategically, such capabilities allow Australia and its Allies and Partners to respond more precisely to hybrid threats and coercive gray-zone activities that fall short of acts of war. For example, AI-enhanced platforms can rapidly detect unmarked vessels, cyber intrusions and manipulated information operations before escalation. They also can conduct persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

The scalability and cost-efficiency of HMT offer significant advantages in the Indo-Pacific’s vast and diverse geography. Mills and Antic noted that “hyper-teaming — where one operator controls multiple autonomous systems — enhances reach and agility.” By deploying HMT technologies, “smaller Indo-Pacific countries [could] present a low-cost credible threat to hostile actors,” Schafer noted.

International collaboration is a cornerstone of Australia’s HMT initiatives, with a focus on joint research and development and shared standards to ensure interoperability across forces. At the U.S. Army-led Project Convergence Capstone 5 at Fort Irwin, California, in early 2025, Australian Army Soldiers were among the more than 6,000 multinational personnel testing hyper-teaming and other emerging technologies.

With capabilities such as AI-driven logistics and predictive maintenance on the horizon, ethical and secure AI development underpins Australia’s approach. The nation’s Defence Science and Technology Group has issued guidelines addressing ethical and legal considerations.

“Ethical, secure AI is not just a safeguard — it’s a strategic advantage that helps maintain legitimacy and public trust,” according to Mills and Antic.

Peter Parson is a FORUM contributor based in Hamilton, New Zealand.