Books

AI, Automation, and War

Anthony King

A field-research-driven debunking of the "AI replaces commanders" thesis — AI as a depth-and-speed tool for human judgement, not a substitute.

The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Defence

Mariarosaria Taddeo

A Just-War-rooted ethical framework for AI in defence — five principles for governing intelligence analysis, cyberwarfare, and autonomous weapons.

AI for Defense and Intelligence

Patrick T. Biltgen

A working textbook on AI for the defence-and-intelligence community.

The AI Wave in Defence Innovation

Michael Raska (ed.), and Richard A. Bitzinger (ed.)

An international, interdisciplinary survey of military AI strategies — major and middle powers compared.

Army of None

Paul Scharre

The seminal book on autonomous weapons — what they are, who is building them, and the rules nobody has written yet.

Intelligence Collection

Wayne Michael Hall, and Gary Citrenbaum

A doctrine-level treatment of intelligence collection in complex, contested environments — pre-AI, foundational reading.

Rise of the Machines

Illya Sekirin

A tactical and operational study of how drones reshaped the Russia-Ukraine war.

Beast in the Machine

George M. Dougherty

The AI Military Race

Denise Garcia

On the global race to militarise AI and the governance gap around autonomous weapons.

The AI Commander

James Johnson

Examines how AI and autonomy will reshape command in algorithmic warfare and whether machines should make strategic decisions in place of humans.

Algorithms of Armageddon

George Galdorisi, and Sam J. Tangredi

Surveys how AI is reshaping the conduct of future warfare across services.

De Gruyter Handbook of Drone Warfare

James Patton Rogers

A comprehensive scholarly handbook covering the doctrine, technology, and policy of drone warfare.

Deterrence under Uncertainty

Edward Geist

Studies how AI will and won't change the logic of nuclear deterrence.

Four Battlegrounds

Paul Scharre

Maps the strategic competition over AI across data, compute, talent, and institutions, with heavy defence focus.

The Coming Wave

Mustafa Suleyman

The New Fire

Ben Buchanan, and Andrew Imbrie

Frames AI as a transformational force shaping war, peace, and great-power competition.

New Fire

Ben Buchanan, and Andrew Imbrie

Fighting Machines

Dan Saxon

A study of how autonomous weapons challenge human dignity, accountability, and the laws of armed conflict.

AI for Digital Warfare

Niklas Hageback

Examines weaponised AI in psychological and hybrid warfare campaigns.

The Centaur's Dilemma

James E. Baker

How national security law applies to AI, including the law of armed conflict and arms control.

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Warfare

James Johnson

On AI-infused weapon systems, deterrence, and strategic stability between nuclear-armed states.

The Age of A.I.

Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher

AI at War

Sam J. Tangredi

Multi-author volume on how AI and machine learning are reshaping naval warfare and national security.

I, Warbot

Kenneth Payne

On pilotless drones, robot tanks, and the strategy and ethics of intelligent military systems.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence Systems in Intelligence Analysis

Daniel Ish

A taxonomy and quantitative framework for measuring AI's value to military and intelligence analysis.

The Kill Chain

Christian Brose

A Senate Armed Services insider argues the US must rebuild around software, autonomy, and networks.

Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Cyber Defense

Daniel Ventre

Analyses the appropriation of AI by armed forces, intelligence agencies, and police, and its place in conflict.

Artificial Intelligence and Global Security

Yvonne R. Masakowski

Edited volume on the integration of AI in military affairs and its implications for global security.

Army of none

Paul Scharre

Strategy, Evolution, and War

Kenneth Payne

On how AI will revolutionise strategy-making in war, including machine-on-machine decision speed.

Autonomous Weapons Systems

Nehal Bhuta, Susanne Beck, Robin Geiß, Hin-Yan Liu, and Claus Kreß

Hardback edition of the same edited volume.

Killer Robots

Armin Krishnan

A legal and ethical examination of autonomous weapon systems and the prospects for regulating them.

Sudden Justice

Chris Woods

An investigative journalist documents the covert U.S. drone war across Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and beyond.

The Pentagon's Brain

Annie Jacobsen

A comprehensive history of DARPA covering the origins of autonomous systems, AI warfare research, and the hidden programs shaping future conflict.

Wired for War

P. W. Singer

A sweeping survey of how robotics and unmanned systems are remaking the face of war.

Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots

Ronald C. Arkin

A roboticist argues that autonomous systems with embedded ethical governors could comply with the laws of war more reliably than stressed human soldiers.