Executive summary: Designing the future force.

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01 / Empowering the Autonomous Force

Autonomous technologies are reshaping modern warfare across all domains.
The real value of autonomy lies in how it integrates with human operators.
Human-centered design ensures autonomy is usable, trusted, and mission-effective.
With well-designed systems, humans shift from operators to orchestrators of autonomous assets.

Autonomous systems succeed when designed with human operators, not around them.
Good design reduces cognitive load, speeds decision-making, and increases mission tempo.
Usability and operator experience are becoming key procurement criteria for the DoD.
Suppliers who invest in design gain a competitive edge in both acquisition and adoption.

Bundle Decisions, Amplify Authority: Group complex decisions to keep operators focused and empowered.
Precision In, Flexibility Out: Interfaces must enable clear intent-setting to support adaptive system behavior.
Trace Decisions, Build Trust: Transparent reasoning builds operator confidence and aids diagnostics.
Uphold Ethos, Evolve Doctrine: Design must respect military values while enabling doctrinal shifts like 1-to-many control
Warfighter Needs, Not Hypotheticals: Real user input shapes more relevant, effective requirements and solutions.

Overdesigned on Paper: Dense interfaces confused operators—simple orientation tools proved more valuable.
When Alerts Become Noise: Excessive alerts eroded trust—grouping and filtering increased responsiveness.
Design That Adapts to the Mission: Static dashboards failed—modular UIs allowed real-time mission adjustments.
Trust Is Built in the Interface: Lack of system feedback led to autonomy being disabled—persistent status indicators restored trust.

Human-centered design delivers measurable value: better workflows, faster training, and mission resilience.
These are not aspirational—they’re achievable with early, disciplined investment in design.
For defense developers and suppliers, design is no longer optional—it’s essential for field-ready autonomy.