Solutions to win: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry launches first military tech competence center to accelerate innovation
Photo: Telegram / Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced the creation of the first center of competence for military technologies – Defense AI Center "A1", which should accelerate the transformation of combat experience into innovative solutions.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Facebook, as reported by Rubryka, that the new center will analyze frontline data, predict enemy actions, and develop autonomous systems, laying the groundwork for an AI-driven army of the future.
Fedorov noted that the defense department is working on creating a system of centers of competence. Their task will be to:
- Сonstantly analyze the battlefield, technologies
- Determine the next steps in development.
According to him, in the near future, a dedicated center will be established for each key area of modern warfare, including drones, Middle Strike, Deep Strike, artillery, and others.
The first of these is the Defense AI Center "A1," with the minister noting that the British government is supporting its implementation.
The main tasks of the Defense AI Center "A1" are:
- Analyze combat data
- Predict enemy actions
- Develop autonomous systems
- Introduce new management tools
"AI solutions will be integrated into every aspect of modern warfare — from intelligence to command and control. Our goal is to build the most effective defense system in Europe. This is an AI-driven army of a new generation, based on rapid innovation, autonomous systems, and network superiority," said Fedorov.
The head of the Ministry of Defense invites interested individuals to join the team.
Resumes can be sent to: [email protected]. Ideas for the center's development can be sent to: [email protected].
"In a technological war, the one who completes the innovation cycle faster wins," the minister emphasized.
Background
It should be noted that the Cabinet of Ministers has approved a pilot project granting international partners access to train AI models for unmanned systems using real battlefield data.
It was also reported that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Scientific Research Institute of Military Intelligence, and US technology company Palantir, is launching Brave1 Dataroom — a secure environment for testing and training artificial intelligence models for military applications.
The American startup with Ukrainian roots, NeoLens, has unveiled the world's first autonomous AI assistant for diagnosing and repairing military equipment. The system is already actively operating in dozens of repair battalions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and significantly reduces the time needed to restore armored vehicles.
This initiative aligns with Ukraine's broader push for AI integration in defense and demining. Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently stressed the role of AI in increasing drone autonomy and reducing the need for human operators in combat zones.
The Ministry of Defense has also launched the K4 Startup Studio, a program supporting AI-driven military startups backed by Germany's Federal Ministry of Defense and the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BThe). Its goal is to develop solutions that provide a technological edge on the battlefield.
