Episode 4

The Future of Autonomous Warfare: AI, Drones, and the New Rules of Combat with Noel Zamot

Guests: Noel Zamot, COL, USAF Retired

Air Date: 1/12/2026 8 am ET

In this episode of Forces of Change, hosts Dr. Mikah Sellers and Annie Graziani are joined by Noel Zamot, a combat aviator, retired Air Force Colonel, and the former commander of the elite Air Force Test Pilot School. As the man who stood up the military’s first remotely piloted aircraft test program and developed the framework for testing systems in contested cyberspace, Noel provides an unparalleled look at the "new normal" of high-tech conflict.

The conversation centers on the rapid disruption currently unfolding on the battlefield, where AI-enhanced drones now account for the vast majority of casualties in modern conflicts like Ukraine. Noel decodes the shift from traditional "standoff weapons" to fully autonomous agents capable of making decisions at speeds that outpace human response. Together, they explore the "brand new frontier" of military trust, the psychological toll of remote warfare, and the urgent need for policy that can keep up with the speed of light.

Key Takeaways:

The Death of the "Human in the Loop": Why the compressed timeline of modern air battles means traditional human oversight is breaking down, replaced by a critical need for machine trust.

The Psychology of Remote Combat: Insights into how "killing on a screen" from half a world away fundamentally changes the moral and human factors of warfare.

Testing for a Contested World: How the military is evolving to test autonomous robots and AI-guided systems in environments plagued by heavy electronic jamming and cyber interference.