CNAS Releases New Report: Lessons in Learning: Ensuring Interoperability for Autonomous Systems in the Department of Defense

Washington, May 8, 2025 – Today, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) released a new report, Lessons in Learning: Ensuring Interoperability for Autonomous Systems in the Department of Defense, by Defense Program Fellow Josh Wallin.

The report argues that, as artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous technologies reshape modern warfare, the Department of Defense (DoD) must ensure these systems can operate safely and effectively when deployed together. While piloted systems benefit from human intuition, training, and communication, autonomous systems will have to be preprogrammed to coordinate with each other, even if they are developed by different vendors.

Building on the recent report Safe and Effective: Advancing Department of Defense Test and Evaluation for Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems, the new report highlights how the novelty of AI and autonomy introduces distinct challenges for the DoD’s test and evaluation enterprise—the kind of challenges that become even more complex when multiple autonomous systems must function as a cohesive team. The report emphasizes that maintaining combat effectiveness in future conflicts will require a technically grounded, Joint Force–wide framework for managing these systems across their life cycles.

The report warns that siloed development efforts will fall short in an era of rapidly advancing and interconnected capabilities. Unlike humans, autonomous systems cannot rely on informal coordination. Instead, they require shared protocols, frameworks, and test strategies to function reliably and avoid catastrophic failures in complex, dynamic environments.

To face these challenges, the report offers a series of actionable recommendations for the DoD, including:

• Empowering leadership to ensure AI and autonomous systems are developed for interoperability;

• Developing standards that ensure interoperability, analogize to standardized training and procedures for human operators;

• Coordinating testing and evaluation to ensure compatibility between autonomous systems; and

• Employing common modeling and simulation tools to enhance interoperability, alongside live testing and experimentation.

The report argues that, if the Department acts now, the promise of autonomy to enhance the future Joint Force can be realized.

This report is a part of the CNAS Defense Program’s new initiative on AI in future warfare. Subscribe to the Defense mailing list to keep up with the program. Subscribe to the Defense mailing list to keep up with the program.

For more information or to arrange an interview with the report’s author, please contact Alexa Whaley at [email protected].