The US, Gulf country allies and Israel are using AI (artificial intelligence) to predict where future Iranian drone attacks will emanate from, a top US general said on Wednesday.
USTRANSCOM Commander Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, the commander of American logistics transport issues worldwide, made the comments in a virtual media briefing alongside her visit to a number of Middle East countries, with an emphasis on disaster relief in Turkey and Syria.
She said that US Task force 99 is “using drones to create a mesh network… and to have an integrated air and missile defense to counteract Iranian drones and to determine how to take collective action.”
More specifically, she said the joint regional air defense teams are “using AI to help us sift through data, not only to characterize threats, but to predict where threats will” originate from in the future based on previous frequent maneuvers.
“The integrated work of partners from the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] provides information, including [using] advanced technological capabilities from other nations like Israel. It’s a journey, but it is very promising what we are seeing out there,” said Van Ovost.
“The integrated work of partners from the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] provides information, including [using] advanced technological capabilities from other nations like Israel. It’s a journey, but it is very promising what we are seeing out there,”
Jacqueline Van Ovost
Further, she said, “the biggest concerns are the threat emerging from Iran. Their dangerous policies continue to destabilize the nation. We have to face this challenge collectively. That’s how we can deter and we can sense the threats together, and together we can respond.”
During her visit, “I encouraged integrated missile and air defense against those [Iranian] drones – they have done hundreds of strikes in the regions, and of course” she also encouraged integrated regional defense against Iran’s “ballistic missile technology.”
Next, she said that, “Having integrated maritime construction to see threats that come across the water,” is critical since “we must keep the free flow of economic goods across the Gulf.”
What about aid to Turkey and Syria?
Regarding aid to Turkey and Syria, she said, “we are working with our partners tirelessly to coordinate the delivery of lifesaving assistance.”
“Within 24 hours, we sent two urban rescue teams, including 160 personnel and 77,000 kilograms of equipment to begin the desperate search for survivors. We deployed US army helicopters to airlift medical personnel to the areas hardest hit.”
In addition, she said that Turkey let the US establish itself at a Turkish airbase which it used to fly 2,000 airlift sorties, uploading 5.4 million kilograms of international aid.
She added that USAID has “pledged $85 million to continuing to assist Turkey and Syria in their time of need.”