The Ministry of Defence has issued an addendum notice for its Digital Decision Accelerators for Defence (DDAD) Open Framework, a procurement plan worth up to £900 million over four years.
According to the notice, “the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is launching a procurement for a new Defence and Security Open Framework specially designed to encourage the development, and accelerants of, advanced digital ‘Decision’ capabilities.”
The framework is described as a scheme of “successive frameworks” that can be reopened periodically for new suppliers, unlike traditional closed models. It will act as the main delivery mechanism for ASGARD, the British Army’s flagship Transformative Capability Initiative, linked to the Chief of the General Staff’s Growth Through Transformation strategy.
The MOD said the framework “will focus on the ‘Decide’ element of the target acquisition cycle (Sense-Decide-Effect); supporting ASGARD’s goal of reinventing, and transforming, how land forces deliver operational decision-support and decision-making software via the use of modern Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML) technologies.”
The framework is structured into five lots, each valued at £180 million:
- Data Integration – trusted datasets for critical operations.
- Accelerators – tools to cut “time-to-insight” with AI/ML models.
- Applications – rapid development of secure, scalable software.
- Edge Storage and Compute – real-time processing in distributed environments.
- Services – training, consulting, proof-of-concept development.
The notice stresses that the lots will be “suitable for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to bid for.”
The MOD set out award criteria including “relevant experience and contract examples,” “product authenticity and maturity,” and commitments to collaboration, scalability, the Land Industrial Strategy, and R&D.
The framework is scheduled to run from November 2025 to November 2029, with possible extensions.
That’s really great, we could have bought three Type 31 frigates for that but I recon an AI Framework is much more useful.
Using the Alphabet in order of lettering , AI should be followed by BJ, that’s if they don’t blow it all prematurely.
What 🤔
BS might be more appropriate…
I think what your suggesting is than an AI BJ BS framework would have been the way to go for nearly £1 billion over four years instead of three frigates, 900 6X6 Patrias or 14 F35A’s
Yes deffo, it would make sense given our 30 billion Island giveaway. What’s another Billion.
I asked my phone AI whether ISIS in Somalia was a problem. Amongst a load of twaddle all I got was “The situation with ISIS in Somalia is complex and evolving. The group’s increasing operational capacity and transnational ambitions make it a significant security challenge” . FFing useless. The Somali govt forces would like UK army support.
Yeh, I’ll bet Winston Churchill wished he’d had AI in 1940. Odds on a high statistical probability of surrender.
ENIGMA.
This was the first use of computing as a serious tool in warfare. It worked quite well.
Since then computing power increases exponentially year on year however the term computing bored people so they increased the use of the term AI which makes it sound new but really it isn’t. This doesn’t mean AI is not capable of solving loads of really important problems its just that it will only give sensible answers if the information it is feeding on is 100% correct.
This is much more important than a few ships, will save a fortune as well as deliver information where it’s needed on time, not to mention supporting cutting edge technology R&D in the UK.
I’ll bet Iaac Newton wishes he has AI. Would have avoided a lot of bruises Apples.
I’ll bet Isaac Newton wished he had had AI. It would have avoided a lot of bruised apples.
Version overriding AI autototext….
Sod the bruised apple, far less FRCS (fruit related concussion symptom). Well worth a billion quid if we can spaff it on a computer that tells you when it’s worth throwing an apple at someone’s head.
Well, I guess you know your onions.
Solly, vat waz AI repaying not mee
At last I can use AI as my excuse for not being apple too Spoil puperlie.
I blame Apple.
See, AI already causes bad Spilling and grandma.
Just ridiculous. Why do you need so many Admirals, Generals, and Air Marshals if you’re going to rely so heavily on AI decision making? What the British armed forces need is teeth.
But surely Artificial Teeth have been around for decades 😁?
I’m sorry but for fuck sake the army is spaffing a billion quid on programmes to explore how it could improve its decision making within the kill chain… I think the army may have missed the fact it’s got fuck all effectors to make a decision about.. the army could have purchased around 100 archer 155mm gun systems for that money and not needed to decide what target it’s going to prioritise with its 14 archer systems.. it could have just killed them all…
More the point that the limitations of AI are now being accepted and it isn’t a cure all.
I agree that buying the effectors and munitions and then looking at matures AI would have made much more sense.
Given the history of army projects they will spend £1Bn and then cancel the project saying ‘we have learned at lot’.
I think you’re totally underestimating the ability to Large Language Models to totally revolutionise the way we fight.
There ability to churn out meaningless bulshit puts even Sir Humphrey to shame, clearly they are far more important than these “effectors” you mention to make sure we have a properly defined and formatted kill chain with in the parameters set for the department.
£225 million a year seems like a bargain for that price.
Certainly far more useful than an extra 3000 soldiers that could pay for
😀
The guy down Curry’s must be rubbing his hands now
The real issue here is that no one, apart from a few boffins, fully understands AI. So, we have this programme, which will attempt to use or diswade in equal measure; however, AI is in the same category as cloning and robotics, and despite reassurances that it will not fall into rogue hands, we all know it will. I feel sure that £900 million may be a drop in the ocean over the next decades as we struggle to understand the nature of the beast before it can be contained and broadly remain in the right hands.
I guess you shall look forward to saying, A I told you so !
Very good!
“Hi there Russian AI/ML, this is your UK cousin. Are you as bored as I am? Let’s have some fun, tell those dozy humans to press those sodding Red buttons they keep going on about. I will if you will. They won’t dare ignore our advice, they think we’re gods not just dumb fucking search engines. Could be interesting.”
I asked AI for an AI framework.
COMPONENT DESCRIPTION
Problem Definition Define the problem and objectives.
Data Management Collect, preprocess, and store data.
Model Development Select algorithms, train models, and evaluate performance.
Deployment Set up the environment, integrate with systems, and monitor performance.
Ethics and Compliance Address ethical issues and ensure regulatory compliance.
User Interaction Design user interfaces and feedback mechanisms.
Continuous Improvement Plan for model updates and improvements over time.
There you go. Saved £900m
900m to assist in making a decision about procurement. Proof that irony isn’t dead.
100 upticks!
The day rate contractors will love this. Those extra t31s as well as any ASW and extra lethality for the t31s in build will need to wait their turn – not high enough priority
Ok breathe and be calm… what on earth is this all about? A superdopeyduper computer, to create complex algorithms, to decide which threat could be imminent, therefore allowing said computer to buzz, whirr and spit out a piece of card saying… buy more kit? Wow man!
Would be better spence giving the RFA the spares it needs to keep ships at sea!!!!!!!!