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.

02/  Good Design is Mission-Critical 

  • 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.

03/ Principles for Human-Machine Teaming

  • 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.

04/ Lessons from the Field

  • 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.

05/ Accelerating Capability through Strategic Design

  • 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.