**7. Technology as a decision aid for the leader**

Military decision-making is centred on the military leader, because he is at the heart of the command situation. He takes responsibility for military action, a mission given to him by the legitimately elected political power.

The leader must therefore control the decisions taken within the framework of military action because he is the guarantor and he assumes the consequences.

What lessons can one learn from the opportunities offered by new technologies for military decision-making and the possible resulting changes in the art of command?

#### **7.1 To reduce the "fog of war"**

The leader must rely on technology to reduce the uncertainty and fog of war. It will allow him to be more aware of his tactical situation by searching for intelligence. Furthermore, it will enable him to delegate to machines the management of repetitive tasks that do not require constant situational intelligence.

Depending on the circumstances and if he has time to reflect, the digitisation of battlefield information will also allow the leader to replay certain possible scenarios before taking a decision. Finally, it will give him the possibility to select the information he has received that he deems important, to view it several times (especially if the information is imprecise) before making a decision.

#### **7.2 For decision support**

A digital aid will be welcome to synthesise the multiplication of digital actors on the ground with whom he is in contact, or whom he must command or coordinate as a leader.

One of the consequences of the digitization of the battlefield is that it may lead to information overload for the leader who is already very busy and focused on his tasks of commanding and managing. It is already accepted in the military community that a leader can manage a maximum of seven different information sources at the same time, and even less when under fire.

#### *Advances in Decision Making*

Delegating is one way to avoid cognitive overload. Thus, one possible solution is to create a "digital assistant" who can support the leader in the information processing steps.

His digital deputy can be a digital assistant, an autonomous machine that will assist the leader in filtering and processing information, which will help the leader in the decision-making process.

Nevertheless, the leader will have to fight against the easy way out, take a step back, allow himself time to reflect, and reason with a critical sense when faced with machines that will think for him. This process will help him fight against a possible inhibition of human reasoning. Artificial intelligence does not mean artificial ignorance if it is used as an intellectual stimulant, although it can have this flaw.
