British soldiers have taken a step into the army’s AI-driven future, trialing the latest uncrewed systems and artificial intelligence (AI) tools during Exercise Forest Guardian in Latvia.
Troops from 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) — part of the 11 Brigade, Land Special Operations Force — joined Latvian partners to explore how advanced tech could shape future warfare.
The exercise formed part of Exercise Tarases 2025, a large-scale multinational drill showcasing how NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force could respond to crises in northeastern Europe.
“Exercise Forest Guardian covers a number of domains — maritime, air, and land. 3 SCOTS are effectively working with forward land forces as part of the Joint Expeditionary Force framework,” said Lieutenant Colonel Rob Smith, commanding officer of 3 SCOTS.
“This not only seeks to see 3 SCOTS integrate with the Latvian forces but also to practice our own ability to fight on the land.”
Technicians Meet Tacticians
The exercise introduced soldiers to cutting-edge battlefield systems, including Cobalt, ARX, Viking, DSA, Menace-T, and Ghost X — all designed to improve decision-making, sensor integration, and situational awareness through AI-enabled tools.
Two UK defense industry partners deployed technical specialists to train troops directly in the field, blending digital expertise with combat realism.
“The Army is going through a modernization agenda,” said Smith. “And one of the things we are seeing as part of that is the ability to integrate industry-led capabilities alongside our forces — what I loosely term as a technician working alongside a tactician.”
That dynamic played out through systems like Cobalt, which connects sensors and effectors into a faster, AI-driven decision cycle.
“It makes that process quicker and more compressed, which means you can achieve greater effects on an adversary in a training scenario,” Smith explained.
By pairing AI systems with hands-on soldier experience, the British Army is moving toward an approach where frontline troops learn to operate and refine the tech reshaping modern conflict.
“It also means you get to see and put kit into the hands of the Jocks to make that experience real,” Smith added.
