An Airman types on his computer during the Cybersecurity Foundry Course at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., March 9, 2018. Course instructors taught 100 cyberspace students various cybersecurity functions, processes, procedures and data analysis skills to further their ability to secure the Air Force Network. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mariette Adams)
WASHINGTON — This morning US Central Command announced the imminent stand-up of a joint US-UAE task force to advance AI in the two allies’ militaries.
Grandly named “Task Force Talon Synapse,” the effort is set to launch “in the coming weeks,” according to the CENTCOM release. The team will be based in the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi and “will consist of approximately 20 American and Emirati personnel with expertise in AI, data, and cybersecurity.”
Talon Synapse will be “the first bilateral task force focused on accelerating the development of military artificial intelligence,” the CENTCOM statement says, with a particular focus on “AI applications for intelligence support, protecting critical infrastructure, and monitoring the regional security environment.”
The release also quotes CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper as calling the project “a historic milestone” and the UAE “one of our most capable regional partners.” The CENTCOM statement says the task force grew out of talks last year between. Cooper and a top UAE official, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
