The Pentagon is pushing artificial intelligence deeper into operational planning, awarding prototype contracts to Air Space Intelligence (ASI) and Watchtower Labs to automate battlefield logistics decisions in contested environments.
Under the Joint Sustainment Decision Tool (JSDT) program, the companies will deploy commercial AI software to analyze logistics risks and help commanders evaluate operational courses of action.
Launched by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in August 2025, JSDT aims to shift military sustainment from reactive planning to predictive, AI-enabled decision-making.
The software forecasts critical materiel requirements — from munitions and fuel to medical supplies and spare parts — across the Joint Logistics Enterprise, enabling faster, more adaptive planning in dynamic and degraded environments.
“Existing logistics and sustainment planning processes are complex and time-consuming. Logisticians do not have the resources they need to generate and analyze multiple courses of action,” said Masha Danilova, DIU AI/ML deputy portfolio director.
“With the help of AI, we can exponentially improve logisticians’ ability to proactively and dynamically plan ahead.”
DIU officials said JSDT addresses longstanding limits in logistics planning speed and complexity across the joint force.
“Commanders today must make decisions faster than ever, often with incomplete information and under persistent threat,” said Mark Lepczyk, president of ASI Federal.
Lepczyk added that AI tools help commanders assess multiple courses of action and their impact on the logistics chain.
The two prototype contracts reflect a broader doctrinal shift: treating logistics not as support, but as combat power.
