Boot Camp for the Brain: AI and Professional Military Education

The authors contend that while generative AI is useful for staff work, its use in war colleges can lead to 'cognitive submission,' where officers outsource the intellectual struggle necessary to develop strategic judgment. They argue that PME is a 'boot camp for the brain' where the process of writing and debating is the primary mechanism for cognitive development. The document warns that AI can exacerbate military biases toward overconfidence and technology, potentially homogenizing thought and eroding critical thinking. To mitigate this, the authors propose 'governance by design,' using AI as a thought partner to surface counterarguments and test assumptions rather than as a tool to produce finished analysis or define problems.

• Generative AI in professional military education (PME) risks replacing the cognitive struggle required to develop judgment and discernment with 'output without cognitive development'.
• The authors distinguish between the workplace, where AI is valuable for workflow optimization, and the war college classroom, which is intended for cognitive development.
• AI models are deemed unreliable for strategic deference due to hallucinations, the 'black-box problem', and the potential for adversaries to manipulate training data.
• There is a risk that AI will reinforce existing military tendencies toward overconfidence and the overvaluation of technology over human-centric warfare.
• Research indicates that unrestricted AI use can lead to a loss of critical thinking and a homogenization of language and thought.
• Evidence from a study of Turkish high school students suggests that AI only supports learning when wrapped in 'learning-science scaffolds'; unrestricted use actually resulted in worse exam performance than no AI use.
• The authors propose a specific design for AI in PME: using it to prompt harder thinking, surface counterarguments, and prospect for consequences, rather than writing strategies or making decisions.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2026). Boot Camp for the Brain: AI and Professional Military Education. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/09/11/boot-camp-for-the-brain-ai-and-professional-military-education/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Boot Camp for the Brain: AI and Professional Military Education. 2026. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/09/11/boot-camp-for-the-brain-ai-and-professional-military-education/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Boot Camp for the Brain: AI and Professional Military Education |date=11 September 2026 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/09/11/boot-camp-for-the-brain-ai-and-professional-military-education/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2026boot, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Boot Camp for the Brain: AI and Professional Military Education}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2026}, month = sep, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/09/11/boot-camp-for-the-brain-ai-and-professional-military-education/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }