AI Research for Strategic Decision Advantage

The FORCES initiative at Purdue University develops and tests AI-enabled tools that help defense professionals think, plan, teach, and decide more effectively. Our work uses advanced AI agents, structured reasoning workflows, and persona-based advisors to improve decision advantage in strategic and operational environments.

Rather than treating AI as simple automation, FORCES uses it as a thinking partner. Our agents act as tutors, advisors, red-team critics, planning assistants, and analytical guides. They help users frame problems, test assumptions, compare options, explain evidence, and generate decision-ready products.

This work supports the FORCES Disrupt Innovation effort, which explores how emerging technologies can surface new ideas, challenge inherited assumptions, and improve strategic and operational planning. The agents were developed in collaboration with Purdue’s MS in Strategy for Security and Defense and will be integrated into the program’s courses as learning scaffolds.

Featured FORCES AI Agents

Data Storytelling Agent

The Data Storytelling Agent user manual explains how the agent helps users turn evidence into clear, persuasive, decision-relevant narratives. It guides analysts from data to insight by identifying what the evidence shows, what expectations it violates, and why the finding matters.

It produces analytical briefs, executive summaries, presentation outlines, research narratives, and classroom exercises.

Best for: students, analysts, researchers, instructors, and leaders who need to explain complex findings clearly.

Course of Action Advisor

The Course of Action Advisor helps users generate, compare, and critique strategic and operational options. It supports structured planning by identifying assumptions, risks, trade-offs, decision points, and possible adversary reactions.

It produces COA comparison matrices, planning memos, risk registers, decision briefs, and red-team critiques.

Best for: military students, planners, defense analysts, instructors, and policy professionals.

AI Transformation Advisor

The AI Transformation Advisor helps organizations understand how to adopt AI responsibly and effectively. It focuses on data readiness, infrastructure, governance, workflow integration, culture, trust, and human-machine teaming.

It produces AI readiness assessments, adoption roadmaps, governance plans, training strategies, and executive briefings.

Best for: managers, defense leaders, educators, program directors, and technology officers.

Strategic Foresight Advisor

The Strategic Foresight Advisor user manual explains how the advisor helps users explore uncertainty, weak signals, emerging technologies, geopolitical change, and alternative futures. It turns long-range uncertainty into structured strategic thinking.

It produces scenario frameworks, foresight briefs, warning indicators, technology roadmaps, and risk-opportunity maps.

Best for: strategists, planners, researchers, defense innovators, and students preparing for uncertain futures.

Email use for details at smatei at purdue dot edu

AI as a Learning Scaffold

FORCES AI agents are designed to strengthen human judgment, not replace it. They help learners and professionals practice the core habits of strategic thinking: asking better questions, comparing alternatives, challenging assumptions, explaining evidence, and making choices under uncertainty.

Integrated into the MS in Strategy for Security and Defense, these agents will help students move from theory to practice through guided exercises, planning products, scenario work, historical analysis, and decision-focused writing.

The result is a practical AI research agenda focused on one goal: better thinking for better decisions.