Artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly help the U.S. military in accelerating the process of finding and targeting missile threats. A recent joint exercise conducted by the U.S. Air Force, alongside forces from Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, emphasized the importance of military cooperation amid ongoing challenges, including verbal attacks from former President Donald Trump.
The exercise, named ShOC-N (Shadow Operations Center-Nellis), took place in December. It explored how allied forces could use AI and new sensor data to expedite missile defense operations, focusing on identifying adversary mobile missile launchers and command sites. Lt. Col. Wesley Schultz from the U.S. Air Force’s 805th Combat Training Squadron highlighted that seamless cooperation among allied nations is essential for optimizing these technologies. He stated, “Unified intelligence and battle management awareness is critical to success in these environments.”
Four additional exercises are planned for later this year, with Canada expected to play a pivotal role in these collaborative efforts. While U.S. military officials refrained from commenting on current political tensions involving the United States, Canada, and the U.K., they expressed clear enthusiasm for the military alliances that support collective objectives to enhance North America’s defense posture.
Joint technology initiatives are already in progress to create a collaborative software development environment, referred to as a sandbox. This system enables multiple partners and operators to contribute effectively, which is increasingly crucial as adversaries enhance their abilities to move command and control centers and weapons, raising the demand for dynamic targeting techniques. Lt. Col. Carl Rossini emphasized the need for “dynamic targeting,” which involves rapidly identifying critical targets.
The U.S. Air Force is leveraging companies like Palantir to enhance its AI capabilities. The Maven Smart Systems software helps facilitate tactical decision-making and asset management within a unified operational context. The capabilities demonstrated in the exercise included real-time data sharing on forces’ locations and planning data integration, which supports more informed decision-making in complex operations.
Despite advancements in AI speeding up processes in civilian applications, military command and control remains a more complex challenge. Steve Ciulla, program manager for the U.S. Air Force’s Tactical Operations Center-Light, noted a significant need for continued development in AI to improve operational decision-making speeds.
One takeaway from the exercise was the recognition that human involvement remains crucial. Lt. Col. Micah Graber remarked that while AI assists in operations, there is still a substantial need for human oversight to manage the influx of information and processes effectively.
The collaborative efforts of allied nations bring not only diverse operational expertise but also additional capabilities, such as satellite data and drone technology. Recently, the United States and Canada participated in joint military operations in Greenland, which further exemplified the importance of these partnerships.
The positive interactions depicted in the ShOC-N exercise contrast sharply with the adversarial dynamics between the countries’ leaders, particularly amid Trump’s provocative comments suggesting Canada could become the 51st state. Despite these tensions, U.S. officials have indicated a commitment to maintain intelligence-sharing agreements, though concerns about Trump potentially using intelligence as a negotiating tool linger among Canadian officials, according to Vincent Rigby, a former top intelligence advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister.
