CENTCOM launches its first bilateral AI working group with the UAE

TAMPA, Florida — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on July 28 that it has reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to establish the first bilateral working group focused on accelerating the development of military applications of artificial intelligence.

The joint U.S.-UAE team, named the Talon Synapse Working Group, is expected to officially begin operating in the coming weeks. The team, based in Abu Dhabi, will include about 20 American and Emirati personnel with expertise in artificial intelligence, data, and cybersecurity.

Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said: “This will be a historic milestone, because we are collaborating with one of our most capable regional partners to put rapidly evolving advances in artificial intelligence into the hands of our military forces. We and our Emirati partners have a strong commitment to adopting AI applications; applications that will strengthen innovation at speed and on a broad scale.”

Last year, Cooper and Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser, discussed the idea of possibly forming the working group. CENTCOM also met with leaders from the artificial intelligence industry and Emirati defense officials during a trip to the region last month.

The working group will focus on integrating artificial intelligence applications to support intelligence, protect critical infrastructure, and monitor the region’s security environment.