In the 2026 Defense White Paper, the Ministry of Defense opts for a data-driven and technologically superior military. AI is intended to contribute to information and intelligence dominance: gaining insight into a situation more quickly and making better decisions than the adversary. For example, the white paper mentions using AI to analyze threats and support decision-making. The ministry also aims to scale up the digital infrastructure, including for intelligence and the large-scale deployment of drones.
Digital Transformation Action Plan
The Ministry of Defense is organizing its efforts more explicitly around that ambition. It is investing in the further development of a defense-wide data science and AI platform, and the specialized data teams within each defense component are being expanded. Mixed teams of military personnel and developers, working alongside private-sector partners, are tasked with bringing applications to market more quickly; to this end, the Digital Transformation Action Planis expandingdigital expertise and removing organizational barriers. Secure cloud services, cyber defense, and encryption protect information against current and emerging digital threats. Human responsibility and legal and ethical standards remain the guiding principles in all of this.
Areas of overlap in the scope of work
For the AIC4NL community, there are three areas of overlap in the memorandum. It promotes dual-use applications—those that can be used for both military and civilian purposes—developed in collaboration with companies and research institutions. The Ministry of Defense is also using AI to reduce administrative burdens, a challenge recognized by the healthcare sector and the government. Furthermore, knowledge about the secure sharing and analysis of sensitive data is equally applicable in logistics and industry. This presents opportunities to exchange knowledge across sectors from the Defense sector’s sphere of activity and to jointly advance responsible AI.
Read the full2026 Defense White Paper.
