US Army to create human-machine formation

The U.S. Army has announced the creation of its first Human Machine Integrated Formation (HMIF), set to launch in 2027.

“HMIF platoons will include both ground and aerial platforms, payloads and support assets, in addition to a control vehicle from which soldiers will operate,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Judy, who is responsible for the HMIF, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

According to him, the concept of a human-machine formation envisions that robots operated by soldiers—not the soldiers themselves—will be the first to engage the enemy in combat.

“Today, everything has its own controller. How do we collapse that into a viewer set, potentially even down to one … by collapsing the software control mechanisms from all those different autonomous platforms?” the three-star general added.

Currently, the formation is involved in various initiatives in collaboration with the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), exploring how soldiers can employ new weapons systems within the HMIF framework.

By Khagan Isayev