US Army wants AI solutions to protect homeland munitions sites
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army is looking for inexpensive but high-tech solutions, including artificial intelligence, to help protect the massive acreage that make up its sites where munitions are made and stockpiled.
In one instance, a local duck hunter got out of his boat, grabbed his shot gun and waded right into the protected area of a munition site, Brig. Gen. Ronnie Anderson, Joint Munitions Command commander, said Tuesday at the Association of the U.S. Army's Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.
These 13 operating sites under the purview of Joint Munitions Command have also seen 42 drone incursions, Anderson said, without specifying the timeframe.
'What are they doing? We don't know. Is there anything nefarious or is it just someone who's curious? We don't know because we don't have the ability to interrogate the [unmanned aircraft system] or the person who's operating.'
The worst-case scenario, Anderson said, is a hobbyist could crash a drone into an operating site where there are explosives being moved between Point A and Point B.
Although installations have inner perimeters providing security, McAlister Army Ammunition Plant in Oklahoma, for example, which is larger than the District of Columbia, has an outer perimeter of three-strand barbed wire cattle fencing.
Fencing, however, can be costly. A recent estimate to construct fencing around Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas was $80 million, according to Anderson.
'For less than $5 million, we can have an AI-enabled mobile trailer with sensors, cameras, radar and communicate back through an IT network, back to the control center, that senses, it alerts the [emergency operations center] of something that either is a threat or is not a threat,' Anderson said.
Solutions would also be able to properly address unmanned aircraft systems incursions. The AI capability would be able to learn, allowing it to identify an unmanned aircraft system, communicate the type of system back to the Army and then start to interrogate the system, Anderson said.
The Army has engaged three industry partners who are experimenting now at Bluegrass Army Depot in Kentucky with applying artificial intelligence-enabled wide-area security, he said, adding that the service is also initiating another experiment at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Missouri.
These security issues are critical to address now, Anderson said.
'In the next conflict, when the continental United States is a contested area, we have to be able to sense and we don't have these resources to put armed guards on patrol every corner of all of our thousands and thousands of acres.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
10 hours ago
- CNBC
1. Anduril
Founders: Brian Schimpf (CEO), Palmer Luckey, Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, Joe ChenLaunched: 2017Headquarters: Costa Mesa, CaliforniaFunding: $6.3 billionValuation: $30.5 billionKey Technologies: Artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, edge computing, explainable AI, generative AI, machine learning, robotics, software-defined securityIndustry: DefensePrevious appearances on Disruptor 50 list: 3 (No. 2 in 2024) Over the last year, Anduril has struck a series of deals that demonstrate the company's growth from a disruptive defense industry startup to one of the leaders in a critical sector. In April 2024, Anduril was one of two companies selected by the U.S. Air Force to build and test drone prototypes for the service's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, the first in a new generation of uncrewed fighter aircraft, and a contract in which it beat out traditional defense stalwarts Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. And as defense moves into the AI era, Anduril has also been working more closely with the tech sector to create the military of the future. In December, Anduril partnered with fellow Disruptor 50 company OpenAI on deployment of an advanced AI system for U.S. counter-unmanned aircraft systems to be used in "national security missions." In February, Anduril took over Microsoft's multibillion-dollar Integrated Visual Augmentation System wearables program with the U.S. Army, a contract that was valued at nearly $22 billion. Then in May, Anduril teamed up with Meta to develop the VR and AR headsets for use by the U.S. Army as part of that program. "Anduril has a lot of traction," founder Palmer Luckey said in a CNBC interview in February. That traction has led to a rapid rise in the company's valuation. Last August, Anduril closed a Series F round, valuing the company at $14 billion and securing $1.5 billion in funding to build a more than five-million-square-foot factory, in addition to other investments in production across multiple states and in Australia. An announcement last week of a $2.5 billion Series G more than doubled that valuation to $30.5 billion, making it one of the most highly valued private tech companies in the U.S. It's hard to separate any one accomplishment from the rest for Anduril, but perhaps it's the company's push into the military headsets that signals the next era of disruption for the company but also takes things back full circle for Luckey, who sold his headset startup Oculus VR to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014, and was unceremoniously fired just a few years later. "Anduril builds a lot of different systems across a lot of different domains — so air, land, sea, subsea, space, cyberspace, and eventually subterranean," Luckey said in the February CNBC interview. "[Integrated visual augmentation systems] and systems like it are going to be the portal through which the warfighter commands and controls all of these different autonomous weapons and autonomous sensors." Luckey has spoken at length about his vision of putting such a tool in the hands of soldiers, in a vein that maybe still seems science fiction film and writing, but which he says will create a world that grants "not just the ability to see the thermal, visual and near IR spectrum, but the ability to see into a digital model of the past, present and future, and just seamlessly team with large packs of autonomous weapons." Of Anduril's deal with Meta, Luckey said, "Of all the areas where dual-use technology can make a difference for America, this is the one I am most excited about. My mission has long been to turn warfighters into technomancers, and the products we are building with Meta do just that." With technology, warfare and defense becoming more intertwined, and at a time of increased focus on efficient government budgets that Anduril's product-based model is based on, the company is clearly now one of the major players in a sector it set out to disrupt only a few years ago, and is perhaps even starting to chart a path well beyond the battlefield. "I'm a believer that we're going to mediate our view of the world with technology," Palmer told CNBC.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Right to Repair? Army secretary pushes for access to tools, parts
(NewsNation) — The Right to Repair is gaining a ton of momentum across the country. Earlier this month, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll committed to including right-to-repair provisions in all existing and future contracts with manufacturers. Right to Repair is a legal right for owners of devices and equipment to freely modify and repair products such as automobiles, electronics, and farm equipment. Presently, the Army has committed to securing right-to-repair provisions in contracts. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is advocating for other military branches to adopt the requirement, addressing the long-standing repairability problems across the armed forces. Spyware suspected on iPhones of US, EU political figures: Report 'The Army's commitment to Right to Repair shows other industries that they can do the same,' she says. Last month in Washington, the Right to Repair became law after advocates had spent years trying to get it passed. In addition, a wheelchair bill in New York has also advanced, while a new bill has been introduced in Pennsylvania that covers consumer and business electronics. In 2025, 35 states — up from 30 last year — have considered Right to Repair legislation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
J.D. Vance Speaks Out After He's Dragged Into Trump-Musk Row
President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Vice President J.D. Vance attend the Army-Navy football game at Northwest Stadium on Dec. 14, 2024, in Landover, Maryland. Credit - Kevin Dietsch—Getty Images Vice President J.D. Vance has broken his silence amid the escalating online war of words between President Donald Trump and his former ally and key campaign donor, Elon Musk. 'President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads,' Vance said on X (formerly Twitter) late Thursday night. Affirming his stance and support of Trump, he added: 'I'm proud to stand beside him.' Vance's public statement comes after Musk, who recently left his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), indirectly brought the Vice President into the row. On Thursday, Musk responded 'yes,' endorsing a social media post that said 'Trump should be impeached' and that Vance 'should replace him' in the White House. Read More: The Musk-Trump Implosion Can Be Seen From Space Musk also acknowledged an X post from Vance, sharing a laughing emoji in response to the Vice President's commentary that it had been a 'slow news day.' Revealing he was sitting down with popular podcaster Theo Vaughn for an interview, Vance quipped: 'What are we even going to talk about?' The row between Trump and Musk imploded after Musk aired his grievances with Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill," which is being considered by the Senate. The Tesla CEO branded the bill a 'disgusting abomination' and posted more than two dozen messages on his social media platform on Wednesday, targeting the legislation. He ramped up his efforts to thwart the bill's progress when he told his millions of followers to 'call your Senator, call your Congressman… kill the bill.' Trump responded, telling reporters in the Oval Office that he was 'disappointed' with Musk. The row then spiraled and turned personal, with the two going back-and-forth via posts shared on their respective social media platforms. Read More: Revisiting Elon Musk's Most Controversial Moments in the White House 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election,' Musk said. 'Such ingratitude.' Another post saw Musk claim that Trump is listed in the Epstein files, and that's why they haven't been made public in their entirety. He did not provide evidence pertaining to this. Meanwhile, Trump said via Truth Social: 'Elon was 'wearing thin.' I asked him to leave. I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!) and he just went CRAZY!' The tit-for-tat row between the President and his former right-hand-man shows no signs of slowing down. But Vance has seemingly made his position clear with his late night show of support to Trump. Contact us at letters@
