Artificial intelligence in military medicine

Authors

Abstract

Introduction: Artificial intelligence is becoming a strategic technology in military medicine. Its application in armed forces medical services improves diagnosis, treatment, and medical management in both peacetime and wartime, as well as in combat scenarios.
Objective: To provide an overview of artificial intelligence and intelligent robotics technologies and their integration into military medicine applied to the unified doctrine of treatment and evacuation in combat scenarios, as well as to diagnosis, treatment, and medical administration for defense.
Methods: A narrative review of the scientific literature published between 2020 and 2025 was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, Dialnet, and SciELO databases. The ChatGPT AI tool was used in the preparation and review of the article.
Development: The main applications of artificial intelligence reported in the field of military medicine are presented, along with their operational benefits, the ethical challenges they pose, and future perspectives. The importance of training professionals for its use is highlighted, as it is the need to establish regulatory frameworks that guarantee the safe use of this technology in wartime and combat scenarios, in compliance with the principles of the International Humanitarian Law.
Conclusions: The integration of AI into drones, sensors, and robots can improve medical care in war zones and reduce medical casualties, which is useful for improving the unified doctrine of treatment and evacuation.
Keywords: artificial intelligence; AI; military medicine; computer-aided diagnosis; computer security, robotic telesurgery.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Jorge Eduardo Abreu Ugarte, Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de las FAR

Doctor of Medicine, graduated in 1982 from the Higher Institute of Medical Sciences of Havana. Second-Degree Specialist in Histology. Full Professor and Assistant Researcher. Consulting Professor at the University of Medical Sciences of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.

References

1. Infante Velázquez M. La medicina militar, la guerra y las nuevas posibilidades de atención a las bajas sanitarias. Rev Cub Med Mil [Internet]. 2007 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 36(1): 1. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0138-65572007000100001&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es

2. Topol EJ. High performance medicine: the convergence of human and artificial intelligence. Nat Med [Internet]. 2019 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 25(1): 4456. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-018-0300-7

3. Esteva A, Robicquet A, Ramsundar B, Kuleshov V, DePristo M, Chou K, et al. A guide to deep learning in healthcare. Nat Med [Internet]. 2019 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 25(1): 2429. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-018-0316-z

4. Martínez González A. La irrupción de la inteligencia artificial en el ámbito militar. Defensa.com [Internet]. 2025 [citado 12 Abril 2026]. Disponible en: https://www.defensa.com/opinion/irrupcion-inteligencia-artificial-ambito-militar

5. Hugo Fernández C. et al. La inteligencia artificial aplicada a los usos militares. Grupo de investigación de historia militar [Internet]. España: Centro internacional de investigación avanzada de seguridad y defensa; 2025 [citado 12 Abril 2026]. Disponible en: https://ciia-historia-militar.iniseg.es/administracion/ public/uploads/adjuntos/la-inteligencia-artificial-aplicada-a-los-usos-militares.pdf

6. Ramos Argilagos M, Guida Acevedo G: Inteligencia artificial y Biomedicina: Una revisión narrativa. Rev Haban Cienc Méd [Internet]. 2025 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 24. Disponible en: http://www.revhabanera.sld.cu/index.php/rhab/article/view/5956

7. Weinberg AI, Shirizly A, Azulay O, Sintov A. Survey of learning-based approaches for robotic in-hand manipulation. Front Robot AI [Internet]. 2024 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 1: 1455431. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2024.1455431

8. Chapa J. Military AI Ethics. J Mil Ethics [Internet]. 2024 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 23(3-4): 306-321. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1080/15027570.2024.2439654

9. Lutenco V, Tocu G, Guliciuc M, Moraru M, Candussi IL, Danila D, et al. New horizons of artificial intelligence in medicine and surgery. J Clin Med [Internet]. 2024 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 13: 2532. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13092532

10. Gallego Colón E. La inteligencia artificial como herramienta diagnóstica: ¿la nueva telemedicina? Sanid Mil [Internet]. 2023 [citado 12 Abril 20261]; 79 (3): 156-8. Disponible en: https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/s1887-85712023000300001

11. Díez Gómez JJ. Aplicaciones médico-sanitarias de la inteligencia artificial: una visión desde la práctica clínica. An Real Acad Doct Esp [Internet]. 2023 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 8(4): 877-900. Disponible en: https://www.rade.es/imageslib/PUBLICACIONES/ARTICULOS/V8N4%20-%2012%20-%20CON%20-%20DIEZ_IA%20medicina.pdf

12. Plaza Campillo JJ. Inteligencia artificial: aplicación a la investigación en ciencias de la salud. Sanid Mil [Internet]. 2024 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 80 (2): 80-4. Disponible en: https://bibliotecavirtual.defensa.gob.es/BVMDefensa/es/catalogo_imagenes/grupo.do?path=359313

13. Rosero Cevallos AM. Inteligencia artificial en la predicción de brotes epidemiológicos: Modelos y herramientas para la salud pública. Rev Enred [Internet]. 2024 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 25(2): Disponible en: https://www.enred.ec/inteligencia-artificial-en-la-prediccion-de-brotes-epidemiologicos-modelos-y-herramientas-para-la-salud-publica/

14. Ruiz Arenas C, Marín Goñi I, Wang L, Ochoa I, Pérez Jurado LA, Hernandez M. NetActivity enhances transcriptional signals by combining gene expression into robust gene set activity scores through interpretable autoencoders. Nucleic Acids Res [Internet]. 2024 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 52(9): e44. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkae197

15. Cai L, Qiao J, Zhou R, Wang X, Li Y, Jiang L, et al. EXPRESSO: una base de datos multiómica para explorar la organización genómica 3D de múltiples capas. Investigación [Internet]. 2025 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 53(1): D79-D90. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkae999

16. Chacón Jaime MD, Ajejas Bazán MJ. La aplicación del derecho internacional humanitario en los conflictos armados. Una revisión sistemática. Sanid Mil [Internet]. 2023 [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 79 (2): 91-106. Disponible en: https://scielo.isciii.es/pdf/sm/v79n2/1887-8571-sm-79-02-91.pdf

17. González Rodríguez R, Cardentey García J, González Rodríguez N. La disciplina Preparación para la Defensa en la formación de estudiantes de Medicina. EDUMECENTRO [Internet]. 2017 Jun [citado 12 Abril 2026]; 9(2): 33-45. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/pdf/edu/v9n2/edu04217.pdf

Published

2026-06-05

How to Cite

1.
Abreu Ugarte JE. Artificial intelligence in military medicine. RCIM [Internet]. 2026 Jun. 5 [cited 2026 Aug. 9];18:e913. Available from: https://revinformatica.sld.cu/index.php/rcim/article/view/913

Issue

Section

Short Communications