Faster Wars, Smarter Minds: Driving the Army’s Quiet Cognitive Revolution
Lt. Gen. Milford Beagle Jr.
September 2, 2025
“The speed of warfare is outpacing human cognition.”
-Col. (ret.) John Antal, Protection Senior Leader Forum
The U.S. Army stands at the convergence of two accelerating forces: the exponential growth of battlefield technology and the finite limits of human cognition. From low earth orbit to tactical edge networks, the tools of warfare are changing faster than our cognitive infrastructure — education, training, and judgment — can adapt. While it’s tempting to believe the answer lies in fielding faster tools, better networks, or more advanced artificial intelligence, the truth is: no amount of technology can offset a deficit in human adaptation. Artificial intelligence should be seen not as augmented or automatic intelligence, but as additional intelligence — a means to enhance, not replace, human judgment.
The Army’s educational institutions, especially the Combined Arms Center and its subordinate Centers of Excellence, are already adapting swiftly across educational, operational, and technological fronts to equip future leaders with the creativity and cognitive tools tomorrow’s wars demand. These organizations remain singularly focused on doctrine, force structure, training, and leader development from the individual soldier to the theater command.
Progress in the educational domain is not always immediately visible or easily reduced to dashboards or slide decks. But it is happening — quietly, deliberately, and with urgency. The quiet delivery is intentional and for good reason.
As Juliet Funt observed in A Minute to Think, there are “lead measures” and “lag measures.” A lead measure tracks actions you can control that drive results, such as studying daily or rehearsing battle drills. A lag measure tracks the results that appear later, like test scores or mission success. Cognitive investments often fall under the latter, yielding results only over time.
https://warontherocks.com/2025/09/faster-wars-smarter-minds-driving-the-armys-quiet-cognitive-revolution/
