US forces in the Middle East focus on innovations, new ideas to strengthen defenses

[ad_1]

U.S. Central Command Chief Technology Officer Schuyler Moore and Army Sgt. Mickey Reeves, the winner of CENTCOMs 2022 Innovation Oasis, will give a press conference on Artificial Intelligence and Unmanned Systems at the Pentagon on Dec. 7, 2022. (Alexander Kubitza/US Navy)

WASHINGTON Emerging technologies, new ideas and artificial intelligence are expected to play a far greater role in strengthening American forces around the world in the near future, defense officials said Wednesday.

Schuyler Moore, chief technology officer at US Central Command, stressed the importance of new technologies and forward-thinking concepts and how they will enable the US military to keep pace with rapidly evolving threats.

There are technologies that have matured that can really solve our problems today, not years from now, he told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon. We’re really focused on technology experimentation and how that can be to build sustained capabilities.

CENTCOM is the US combat command covering the Middle East and parts of North Africa and South Asia. He recently held a contest that invited his troops to submit ideas, policies or products to improve US defenses in the region.

The technology can come from the commercial sector, it can come from the Defense Department, Moore said. The idea may come from a sergeant, it may come from a general. The point is to put the best technology in the hands of the people who need it.

CENTCOM said there is an increased urgency for new technologies and ideas due to the reduction of US forces in the Middle East. Thousands of American troops left the region during the Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021.

One creation that the command expects to make a significant difference soon is a software training tool developed by the Army sergeant. Mickey Reeve who won CENTCOM’s inaugural technology competition called Innovation Oasis. The tool will allow troops to simulate any number of scenarios and environments to defend against unmanned aerial systems, such as drones.

The Reeves software tool has yet to undergo pressure testing at CENTCOM, but officials expect it to be a game changer. Eventually, Moore said, troops in other regions of the world will be able to use the training software as well.

Reeve, who is based in Saudi Arabia, told reporters Wednesday that its software allows troops to train with any available US anti-drone system and provides opportunities for boots on the ground who are closest to the threats to mimic their environment. for training.

Moore said the training tool can also be upgraded in the future as new technologies become available. He added that the software enables integration and cooperation on a “previously unimaginable” level.

CENTCOM regularly faces changing threats due to various conflicts in countries such as Iran, Syria and Yemen and with Islamic extremist groups such as the Islamic State.

For winning the contest, Reeve also won a service award and a four-day recreation pass. Moore said she will eventually also have the opportunity to commercially monetize the tool.

Moore became CENTCOM’s first chief technology officer in October and was previously chief strategy officer for Navy Task Force 59 and an intelligence officer for the Navy Reserve.

CENTCOM plans to hold its next innovation competition, Innovation Scarlet, in early 2023.

[ad_2]