In the shadow of an ongoing conflict, a single misreading by an artificial mind nearly set two nuclear powers on a collision course. A US military analyst, trusting an AI system's synthesis of open and classified intelligence, produced a false report claiming a Chinese vessel carried nuclear weapons components — a document that moved through official channels with the full weight of institutional authority before someone paused to question its foundation. The incident illuminates a tension at the heart of modern military strategy: the same speed that makes AI-assisted decision-making attractiv