Transforming defence analytics with generative AI

How the MOD can reduce data integration time from days to minutes with generative AI

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In the race for information advantage, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) faces a bottleneck: Data collection has never been easier, but turning raw information into actionable intelligence remains frustratingly slow. While analysts spend days wrestling with incompatible formats from the Navy, Army, and Air Force systems, critical operational decisions can't wait. But Search AI is changing the equation for decision-makers and their staff.

Modern defence operations depend on timely access to clean, structured, and organized data, but integrating diverse sources often creates delays. To support faster intelligence workflows, recent advances in AI are making it possible to
automatically generate data integration pathways across systems in minutes, not days. This shift allows MOD analysts to spend less time preparing data and more time applying their expertise to critical decisions.

Transforming defence analytics for operational advantage

Advanced analytics capabilities can improve how Defence gains tactical and strategic insights. By deploying cutting-edge technologies — particularly AI innovations — Defence can build a more cohesive analytical ecosystem that spans all services. This approach positions data as a genuine force multiplier. Within secure environments, personnel can access and analyse information using standardised tools, bringing together diverse data streams from all three services into a unified framework. This integration enhances decision-making speed and enables seamless information sharing between military commands and defence agencies.

But collecting vast amounts of data swiftly and effectively is one thing, and preparing it for meaningful analysis is another. This has traditionally been a time-intensive task
that prevents staff from focusing on the real task at hand — the analysis — rather than supporting data collection. However, capabilities such Automatic Import have now shortened the task from weeks to minutes.This dramatic reduction in integration time translates to lower costs and faster time to insight.

How generative AI accelerates data readiness

Generative AI can automate what has traditionally been one of the most time-consuming aspects of data analysis: preparing and integrating custom data sources. By analysing just a few sample log lines, the system identifies patterns and automatically generates the necessary integration components. This eliminates the manual burden of developing parsing logic and normalisation pipelines — reducing a task that previously required days of specialised coding effort to minutes.

For defence teams with specialised systems, this capability is a significant boost. Custom security-relevant technologies and applications that previously existed in data silos can now be seamlessly incorporated into a unified security view.

From data silos to interoperability: Building a defence data mesh

Defence leaders are calling for greater standardisation of data to support collaboration, interoperability, and faster intelligence sharing across services. A data mesh approach responds to this need by normalising diverse datasets through the Elastic Common Schema (ECS), making it easier for teams to work together and share insights.

When information from disparate systems can be searched and analysed holistically — through capabilities like cross-cluster search, secure cross-service intelligence sharing can become a reality. AI can be used to quickly and easily bring in data from any source — even those without prebuilt integrations — so you can start searching and analysing it right away. Uniform analysis with dashboards, search capabilities, alerting mechanisms, and machine learning tools creates a comprehensive operational picture. 

Faster data integration means more agile analytics, supporting timely, actionable insights for decision-makers at all levels.

Securing control and sovereignty in AI-powered workflows

As defence organisations adopt generative AI to support decision-making, maintaining data control and sovereignty becomes a top priority. In environments where classified and sensitive information must remain secure, the ability to access large language model (LLM) capabilities, without compromising ownership of the data, is essential.

Elastic’s architecture supports this by enabling secure, model-agnostic access to AI, grounded in your own private data. Through retrieval augmented generation (RAG), responses are based on in-house sources, helping defence users gain relevant insights without risking exposure of sensitive information.

This approach helps MOD teams explore the potential of generative AI, while keeping control firmly within their own environments.

Making security intelligence faster, not harder

The same principles apply to Elastic’s broader AI-enabled security tooling. Capabilities like Automatic Import, AI Assistant, and Attack Discovery are designed to ease the operational burden on overstretched teams by automating detection, summarising threat behaviour, and accelerating investigations across complex datasets.

By integrating these functions into a unified platform, defence teams can improve analyst efficiency without multiplying tools or adding complexity. Rather than replacing human expertise, AI augments it, freeing teams to focus on critical threats. For overstretched analysts, this means more time focused on threat response and fewer hours maintaining fragmented workflows. Organisations using this approach report reduced complexity, improved workforce efficiency, and more agile decision-making.

The result: a resilient, efficient data environment that supports better use of internal expertise. In an era where both agility and accountability matter, this kind of operational ROI goes beyond cost; it directly supports mission readiness.

Discover how AI and cross-agency data visibility can accelerate cyber defence readiness while maintaining control, compliance, and confidence across complex environments. Watch the full discussion in our webinar series Mission advantage: Strategic conversations with defence leaders.

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