Located at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, the U.S. Air Force's Combined Air Operations Center controls air assets in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, a 21-nation region from northeast Africa across the Middle East to Central and South Asia.

Located at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, the U.S. Air Force's Combined Air Operations Center controls air assets in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, a 21-nation region from northeast Africa across the Middle East to Central and South Asia. U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Jessica Montano

Effort to build common Mideast air picture gets a ‘B-minus’ from USAF official

“Slow but steady progress” cited by deputy commander of Air Forces Central Command.

DUBAI, UAE—The U.S.-led effort to develop a common air-threat picture in the Middle East gets a “B-minus” for its “slow but steady progress,” Air Force Central Command’s second-in-charge said Sunday.

As threats rise to U.S. forces in the region, AFCENT is leading allies and security partners in developing a “shared, common operating picture and shared threat-warning” display, said Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. David Mineau.

“How are we doing? I'd say B-minus,” Mineau said at the Dubai International Air Chiefs' Conference, a gathering of air power leaders ahead of the Dubai Air Show this week. 

Mineau filled in at the conference for his boss, AFCENT leader Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, who was called away on “last-minute business.”  

Mineau and other leaders at the conference carefully avoided discussing the Israel-Gaza war blazing on the region’s western edge, one of several hot spots drawing AFCENT’s attention. Iran-backed militia have been attacking U.S. bases and facilities in Iraq and Syria, injuring more than 50 U.S. personnel, and an MQ-9 drone was recently shot down off the coast of Yemen by Houthi forces. And Russian warplanes have become “increasingly bellicose” over Syria, as Grynkewich put it earlier this year.

Building a shared image of the battlespace in the Middle East is crucial because threats “go across boundaries,” Mineau said. The command is integrating its operations and strategy and planning efforts with 17 partners at the Combined Air Operations Center in Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, he said.

But before a common operating picture can be delivered, Mineau said they need the right policies in place to share information. AFCENT is looking at two possible approaches, he said. One is putting data into a central hub that would hide the source of the information—making the data “anonymous.”

“Or do we get to the point where we can trust each other to know where the data is coming from? So we're working on both of those angles across, again, a common operating picture and intelligence,” Mineau said. There’s a “long way to go on policy, trust-building, but we are making incremental improvements.” 

The Air Force is using artificial intelligence to tackle another perennial problem: sifting heaps of data collected by the service’s intelligence assets and other systems. Mineau said leaders have used AI algorithms to suggest various courses of action. 

“We are actually getting to where we can have the algorithms present us with packaging options from which to build the master air attack plan and eventually put out an air tasking order for us to execute,” Mineau said. 

The general stressed that AI won’t be making the decisions, just organizing options so AFCENT can be “better and quicker,” he said. 

No matter how good the technology is, Mineau said, “we need airmen, we need guardians” to control AI.

Mineau spoke ahead of the Dubai Air Show, where major defense contractors will meet to discuss international partnerships and deals and show off new systems. 

U.S. military leaders in the region have been instructed not to speak with members of the media this week, but the Air Force will “still offer robust aircraft participation in the show,” according to an AFCENT spokesperson.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.