Republic of Korea – May 14, 2024

At the recent ROK Science and Technology Day, held on May 14, 2024, the stage was set for the sharing of ideas and knowledge between the US Marine Corps Forces, Korea and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps. Among the distinguished speakers was Lt. Col. Willliam DuBois, a communications officer and assistant chief of staff with MARFORK, who delivered a presentation on the critical role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and observations of it in modern military operations.

Lt. Col. DuBois was invited by ROK Marine Corps counterparts to speak about AI and highlight the relationship between the US Marines and their ROK counterparts. “We have a really close relationship with the ROK Marine Corps,” said Lt. Col. DuBois, underscoring the mutual interest in advancing AI capabilities within both organizations. “AI is a topic that has been very important to the ROK Marine Corps.”

Speaking to an audience comprised of military leaders and industry experts, Lt. Col. DuBois delved into various facets of AI, ranging from its applications to ongoing efforts within the USMC as well as its use in modern warfare. He spoke on the concept of the Kill Web and responsible AI, emphasizing the imperative of fighting smart in the information environment.

Lt. Col. DuBois references the Deputy Commandant for Information’s comments, “strategic AI implementation and its potential to fundamentally change the decision-making process, whoever can observe, orient, decide, and act the fastest has the best chance of winning, the goal is winning our nation’s wars.”.

“In his ‘How we Fight’ frago, our Commandant set the intermediate objectives: distributed operations, dispersed forces, long range sensing and fires with any sensor, any shooter, and the need for emissions control. From the conference, we see the ROKMC shares many of the same priorities.” said Lt. Col. DuBois.

Drawing from strategic doctrine and innovation campaigns, Lt. Col. DuBois made a case for the transformative potential of AI in revolutionizing decision-making processes. “Artificial intelligence in some form or fashion is inevitable,” said Lt. Col. DuBois, acknowledging the evolving landscape of warfare and the imperative for readiness in the face of advancing adversaries. “We will have to deal with adversaries leveraging Artificial Intelligence to do things better and faster whether we choose to use those technologies or not.”

“When our Commandant talks about Force Design he calls it a campaign of learning, I think that conferences like these directly contribute to that campaign,” said Lt. Col. DuBois. “USMC participation in the ROKMC’s science and technology conference was an important step towards our shared goal: winning.”

The conference concluded with a call to action, urging collaboration and innovation in harnessing the potential of AI for the collective defense and security of allied nations. “All military professionals need more exposure to AI – leaders especially. Play around with commercial AI tools, just make sure to do it safely by protecting military and personal information. Getting an AI prompt right can be likened to writing a good 5 paragraph order or specified task, so I trust this group will have great success.” said Lt. Col. DuBois.