The paper, “Finding Pathways for Human-Machine Teaming in Command and Control at the Operational Level: Taking Advantage of Both the Best Humans Can Offer and Machines Can Provide” focuses on how collaboration between humans and machines can enhance decision-making in complex, multi-domain operations, and was written by LtCol Rabia Saylam, PhD (NATO C2COE), Gwendolyn Bakx, PhD (JAPCC), LtCol Ralph Dekker (NATO C2COE), Max van Rijn, MA BEd (NATO C2COE), and Magdalena Granåsen, MA (FOI).
Rather than offering a prescriptive blueprint, the paper presents practical considerations and concrete, actionable suggestions for embedding Human-Machine Teaming as a foundational enabler across all features of Cross-Domain Command. Ultimately, Human-Machine Teaming offers not merely a technological enhancement but a paradigm shift toward more adaptive, resilient, and effective command, leveraging both human judgment and machine capabilities in concert.
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Abstract: The increasing speed, complexity, and multi-domain nature of modern military operations demand a transformation in how decisions are made and executed. This study serves as a follow-up to, and provides more detail on, NATO’s Cross-Domain Command by exploring how Human-Machine Teaming can be systematically integrated to achieve decision advantage. Building on socio-technical systems theory and lessons from high-reliability areas such as aviation, the study highlights how the cognitive collaboration between humans and AI-enabled systems is reshaping the Command and Control landscape. Through a combination of literature review, doctrinal analysis, operational case studies including Project Maven and Ukraine’s Delta system and subject matter expert interviews from NATO C2COE, the study reveals both opportunities and challenges, such as the need for system literacy, the risks of automationinduced skill degradation, and the importance of preserving cognitive diversity in joint decision-making. Rather than offering a prescriptive blueprint, the paper presents practical considerations and concrete, actionable suggestions for embedding Human- Teaming as a foundational enabler across all features of the Cross-Domain Command. Ultimately, Human-Machine Teaming offers not merely a technological enhancement, but a paradigm shift toward more adaptive, resilient, and effective command leveraging both human judgment and machine capabilities in concert.
