Modernization Doctrine

Discerning the Transformation of Military Education in the Intelligent Age

洞悉智能时代军事教育之变

PLA Daily (解放军报) 21 June 2026

Summary

A PLA-affiliated commentary by Yang Lihua, Shi Guanglei, and Zhang Qizu outlines eight transformation vectors in military education for the intelligentized age, drawing on U.S. Marine Corps AI integration, U.S. Army Sustainment University data modules, U.S. Air Force pilot profiling via deep learning, and U.S. Marine Corps drone operator training under Force Design 2030 as the primary reference cases. The article documents a persistent PLA institutional problem: the gap between existing talent-cultivation pipelines and the cognitive and technical demands of intelligentized operations, particularly in data literacy, algorithm application, and manned-unmanned collaboration. Its value is as a baseline record of how PLA-linked education theorists are framing the reform agenda for military professional military education — not as evidence that these reforms have been implemented — with the heavy reliance on U.S. and allied examples raising the question of how much of this framework is aspirational benchmarking rather than description of current PLA practice.

Translation

Discerning the Transformation of Military Education in the Intelligent Age

■ Yang Lihua, Shi Guanglei, Zhang Qizu

Artificial intelligence technology is profoundly reshaping the form of modern warfare. Unmanned operations, intelligent confrontation, and data competition have become new characteristics of the battlefield, and are also driving a comprehensive, deep-level transformation in military education worldwide. In the intelligent age, relying on digital technology, simulation technology, big data, and other cutting-edge technologies, military education models are accelerating their iteration and gradually forming an entirely new talent-cultivation system suited to the demands of intelligentized operations (智能化作战), exhibiting clear trends of transformation.

Shifting from "classroom indoctrination" to "immersive practical training." The indoctrination-style teaching of "lecturing on tactics at the blackboard and learning command from textbooks" makes it difficult for students to truly experience the uncertainty of complex battlefield environments. To address the problems of insufficient tactical flight training resources and dependence on external facilities, Slovenia partnered with professional institutions to develop advanced flight simulators covering light attack aircraft and helicopter training. These simulators not only accurately replicate the performance characteristics of domestic aircraft and terrain features, but can also simulate various special situations under complex battlefield conditions, allowing pilots to conduct high-fidelity tactical training at any time without relying on external training facilities, significantly improving training efficiency and combat readiness, and changing the traditional indoctrination-style flight instruction model. In the intelligent age, immersive practical training uses technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality to break down the barriers between the classroom and the battlefield, enabling students to forge real-combat capabilities in highly realistic scenarios unconstrained by time and space, greatly improving the efficiency of talent cultivation.

Shifting from "skills training" to "intelligent literacy (智能素养)." In the past, military education focused on cultivating individual skills, whereas intelligentized warfare requires military personnel not only to be proficient in professional skills, but also to possess the comprehensive literacy to apply intelligent technologies and operate intelligent equipment. The U.S. Marine Corps is comprehensively promoting the widespread application of artificial intelligence, having formulated a complete AI strategy and implementation plan, established digital transformation teams deployed to operational units, and partnered with local universities and other institutions to offer relevant scholarships and continuing education programs, jointly conducting thematic seminars to collectively improve officers' and soldiers' ability to use artificial intelligence to solve real-combat problems. Today, military education has integrated the cultivation of intelligent literacy throughout the entire talent-cultivation process, with a focus on forging students' key capabilities in intelligent thinking (智能思维), data interpretation, and algorithm application, driving the shift from "knowing how to use equipment" to "skillfully employing intelligence."

Shifting from "experience-driven" to "data-driven." For a long time, military education management has relied heavily on experiential judgment, resulting in problems such as insufficient targeting and low efficiency. The U.S. Army Sustainment University systematically embedded data education modules into its military professional education, dispersing multiple foundational and intermediate data modules throughout the entire curriculum rather than concentrating them in dedicated instruction, while also offering specialized courses in data analysis and visualization covering officers and soldiers at all levels. Through data education, it cultivates data thinking among officers and soldiers, driving the transformation of education management and decision-making from "experience-driven" to "data-driven," ensuring that training and instruction more closely align with real-combat requirements. In the intelligent age, data has become a key element of military education management; through the collection and analysis of full-process data on students' training, learning, and assessment, military education management can be made more scientific and precise.

Shifting from "uniform instruction" to "individualized precision." The uniform instruction model of "one face for a thousand people" makes it difficult to accommodate individual differences and developmental needs among students. To meet the dual-core capability cultivation requirements of "cognition–skills" for pilots, the U.S. Air Force uses deep learning technology to mine massive amounts of information generated during pilot training—including flight parameters, operational commands, and eye-tracking data—to construct a precise capability profile for each pilot, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses in situational awareness, decision-making response, and other areas, and then formulating individualized training plans that focus on strengthening cognitive and collaborative capabilities. This allows pilots with different foundations and different strengths to achieve precise improvement, breaking the uniform training model. In the intelligent age, leveraging big data and artificial intelligence technology, military education has achieved a precision upgrade of "teaching in accordance with individual aptitude (因材施教)," tailoring cultivation plans to the individual, fully developing individual potential, and thereby achieving differentiated, high-efficiency improvement of capabilities across all personnel.

Shifting from "static teaching materials" to "dynamic intelligent resources (动态智源)." Traditional military teaching materials have long update cycles and lagging content, making it difficult to keep pace with the evolution of warfare. The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School has abandoned the constraints of fixed teaching materials and established deep cooperation with local universities, enterprises, and others, incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as autonomous systems, robotic perception, and quantum computing into instructional content in a timely manner. Through a model of "classroom instruction + on-site enterprise visits," students simultaneously keep abreast of the latest developments in the defense industry frontier; at the same time, course modules are updated in real time according to the development of new operational forms such as unmanned operations and intelligent confrontation, ensuring that instructional content always remains synchronized with technological development and battlefield requirements, and that students are exposed to the most cutting-edge real-combat knowledge and technology. Today, military education has broken through the limitations of static teaching materials and constructed a "dynamic intelligent resources" system capable of real-time updating and on-demand delivery of instructional content.

Shifting from "cyclical cultivation" to "immediate iteration." The rapid pace of technological iteration in intelligentized warfare and the rapid changes in the battlefield environment mean that the traditional "fixed-cycle" talent cultivation model can no longer meet real-combat requirements. To align with the "Force Design 2030" initiative, the U.S. Marine Corps rapidly adjusted its drone operator training model, incorporating it into the Navy's training system and changing the previous model of training conducted by the Air Force. Training content was redesigned according to naval operational standards, with a focus on strengthening capabilities in manned-unmanned system collaboration, distributed operations, and other areas; training cycles are dynamically optimized according to battlefield requirements to ensure that graduates can rapidly adapt to operational needs. In the intelligent age, military education is shifting toward an "immediate iteration" cultivation model; only by closely tracking technological development and battlefield changes, dynamically adjusting cultivation content, and optimizing cultivation processes can seamless alignment between talent supply and battlefield requirements be achieved.

Shifting from "manual assessment" to "intelligent evaluation (智能研判)." Manual assessment is heavily influenced by subjective factors and has a single assessment dimension; intelligent evaluation can comprehensively and objectively assess students' comprehensive capabilities. The Royal Air Force has established a pilot capability framework, using intelligent systems to conduct real-time analysis of students' training data and dynamically generate assessment reports that comprehensively reflect students' true capability levels. In the intelligent age, the introduction of intelligent evaluation systems into military education assessment achieves precision, comprehensiveness, and intelligentization of assessment, providing a scientific basis for talent selection, position assignment, and capability reinforcement.

Shifting from "closed-off schooling" to "open and integrated intelligence (开放融智)." The development of military education cannot be separated from open cooperation. The U.S. Marine Corps works in conjunction with the Air Force, local universities, and technology enterprises to conduct joint scientific research and co-train instructors, pooling the wisdom of all parties to optimize training plans and improve the quality of talent cultivation. In addition, multiple countries promote mixed-group training and thematic seminars among students from military academies of various nations through activities such as International Cadet Weeks, absorbing advanced educational concepts and broadening the horizons of school management through exchange and mutual learning. Today, the military academies of the world's major military powers are breaking down institutional barriers and civil-military barriers one after another, constructing an "open and integrated intelligence" school management framework, pooling high-quality resources from all parties to improve the quality of talent cultivation, and comprehensively elevating the overall quality and comprehensive level of military talent cultivation.

Original Chinese

洞悉智能时代军事教育之变 ■杨丽华石光磊张奇祖人工智能技术深度重塑现代战争形态，无人作战、智能对抗、数据博弈成为战场新特征，也推动全球军事教育迎来一场全方位、深层次的变革。智能时代，依托数字技术、仿真技术、大数据等前沿科技，军事教育模式加速迭代，逐步形成契合智能化作战需求的全新育人体系，呈现出鲜明转型趋势。从“课堂灌输”向“沉浸实训”转变。“黑板上讲战术、课本里学指挥”的灌输式教学，难以让学员真正体悟复杂战场环境的不确定性。斯洛文尼亚为解决战术飞行训练资源不足、依赖外部设施的难题，与专业机构合作打造了先进的飞行模拟器，涵盖轻型攻击机和直升机训练，不仅能够精准还原本国战机性能与地形特征，还能模拟复杂战场环境下的各类特情，让飞行员无需依赖外部训练设施，就能随时开展高保真战术训练，大幅提升了训练效率与战备水平，改变了传统灌输式的飞行教学模式。智能时代，沉浸式实训借助虚拟现实、增强现实等技术，打破课堂与战场的壁垒，让学员不受时空限制，在高度仿真的场景中锤炼实战能力，使得人才培养效率大幅提升。从“技能训练”向“智能素养”转变。以往军事教育侧重单一技能培养，而智能化战争要求军事人才不仅要精通专业技能，更要具备运用智能技术、驾驭智能装备的综合素养。美国海军陆战队正全面推动人工智能普及应用，制定了完整的人工智能战略与实施计划，组建数字化转型团队部署到各作战单位，同时与地方高校等机构合作，开设相关奖学金与进修项目，联动各方专题研讨，共同提升官兵运用人工智能解决实战问题的能力。如今，军事教育已将智能素养培养贯穿人才培养全过程，重点锤炼学员的智能思维、数据解读、算法应用等关键能力，推动实现从“会用装备”向“善用智能”的转变。从“经验驱动”向“数据驱动”转变。长期以来，军事教育管理多依赖经验判断，存在针对性不强、效率不高等问题。美国陆军保障大学在军事职业教育中，系统嵌入数据教育模块，将多个基础数据模块和中级数据模块分散融入整个课程体系，而非集中授课，同时开设数据分析与可视化专项课程，覆盖各级官兵，通过数据教育培养官兵数据思维，推动教育管理和决策从“经验驱动”向“数据驱动”转型，确保训练与教学更贴合实战需求。智能时代，数据成为军事教育管理的关键要素，通过对学员训练、学习、考核等全流程数据的采集、分析，能够使军事教育管理更加科学精准。从“统一施教”向“个性精准”转变。“千人一面”的统一施教模式，难以兼顾学员的个体差异和发展需求。美国空军针对飞行员“认知—技能”双核能力培养需求，利用深度学习技术挖掘飞行员训练过程中的飞行参数、操作指令、眼动数据等海量信息，为每位飞行员构建精准的能力画像，分析其在态势感知、决策响应等方面的优势与短板，进而制定个性化训练方案，重点强化认知能力与协同能力，让不同基础、不同特长的飞行员都能实现精准提升，打破了统一化的训练模式。智能时代，借助大数据和人工智能技术，军事教育实现了“因材施教”的精准化升级，量身定制培养方案，充分挖掘个体潜能，从而实现全员能力差异化、高效率提升。从“静态教材”向“动态智源”转变。传统军事教材更新周期长、内容滞后，难以跟上战争演进的步伐。美国空军试飞员学校摒弃固定教材的束缚，与地方高校、企业等建立深度合作，将自主系统、机器人感知、量子计算等前沿技术及时纳入教学内容，通过“课堂授课+企业实地考察”的模式，让学员同步掌握军工前沿动态；同时根据无人作战、智能对抗等新型作战样式的发展情况，实时更新课程模块，确保教学内容始终与技术发展、战场需求同频同步，让学员接触到最前沿的实战知识与技术。如今，军事教育已打破静态教材的局限，构建“动态智源”体系，能够实现教学内容的实时更新、按需推送。从“周期培养”向“即时迭代”转变。智能化战争技术迭代速度快、战场环境变化快，传统“固定周期”的人才培养模式，已难以适应实战需求。美国海军陆战队为适配“2030年兵力设计”倡议，快速调整无人机操作员训练模式，将其纳入海军的训练体系，改变以往由空军培训的模式，按照海军作战标准重新设计训练内容，重点强化有人与无人系统协同、分布式作战等能力，训练周期根据战场需求动态优化，确保学员毕业后能快速适配作战需求。智能时代，军事教育正转向“即时迭代”的培养模式，只有紧跟技术发展和战场变化，动态调整培养内容、优化培养流程，才能实现人才供给与战场需求无缝衔接。从“人工考评”向“智能研判”转变。人工考评受主观因素影响大、考评维度单一，智能研判则能够全面、客观评价学员的综合能力。英国皇家空军建立了飞行员能力框架，通过智能系统对学员的训练数据进行实时分析，动态生成考评报告，全面反映学员真实能力水平。智能时代，军事教育考评引入智能研判系统，实现考评的精准化、全面化、智能化，能够为人才选拔、岗位调配、能力补强提供科学依据。从“封闭办学”向“开放融智”转变。军事教育的发展离不开开放合作。美国海军陆战队联动空军、地方高校和科技企业等，开展科研共建、教员联培，汇聚各方智慧优化训练方案，提升人才培养质量。此外，多国通过国际学员周等活动，推动各国军事院校学员混合编组训练、专题研讨，在交流互鉴中吸纳先进教育理念，拓宽办学视野。当今世界主要军事强国军事院校纷纷打破院校壁垒、军地壁垒，构建“开放融智”的办学格局，汇聚各方优质资源提升人才培养质量，全面提升军事人才培养的整体质量与综合水平。