TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Incorporating AI-enabled C5ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) systems in Taiwan’s defense could significantly reduce decision time along the kill chain, former US Indo-Pacific Command official Josh Hu has said. 

The kill chain begins with satellites, drones, or reconnaissance aircraft identifying a target, Hu said. Then information is sent back to an operations center via resilient communications, and the center then assigns the mission to the most suitable unit, Hu said, per Liberty Times. Before, it could take an hour to determine whether a vessel was from the Chinese military, but with AI, identification can be done in seconds, and attack orders can be automatically assigned, he said. 

The former military official explained that with AI assistance, decision advantages can be greatly maximized. For Taiwan’s military, which is facing manpower constraints, this is a necessary means of “trading computing power for troop strength,” according to Liberty Times.

The US military is already conducting intelligence sharing and fire coordination with the Five Eyes alliance and Japan and South Korea, Hu said. If Taiwan can build a compatible C5ISR system, it would be able to use common data standards and use a “shared language” to enhance intelligence sharing with partners.

Hu warned that if Taiwan remains stuck in outdated operational models, it may be unable to keep pace internationally or develop the defensive capabilities it needs.