{"id":34084,"date":"2024-01-10T14:55:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T14:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2024\/01\/10\/from-drones-to-sonobuoys-aukus-partners-betting-on-ai\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:34:28","slug":"from-drones-to-sonobuoys-aukus-partners-betting-on-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/artificial-intelligence\/2024\/01\/10\/from-drones-to-sonobuoys-aukus-partners-betting-on-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"From drones to sonobuoys, AUKUS partners betting on AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The Australian, U.K. and U.S. trilateral security partnership known as AUKUS, often associated with the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, is also beginning to bear fruit in the fields of artificial intelligence and autonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the first pillar of the AUKUS agreement seeks to furnish Canberra with stealthy undersea vessels<\/a>, the second, less talked-about pillar aims to foster leaps in all things digital: robotics, intelligence sharing, advanced computing and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve spent a lot of time, actually, over the last year or so, thinking about what AI cooperation with some of our closest allies and partners looks like,\u201d Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Development and Emerging Capabilities Michael Horowitz said Jan. 9 at an event hosed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. \u201cSoftware is not, inherently, a barrier to cooperation with allies and partners<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A handful of Blue Bear drones are seen in a field during artificial intelligence and autonomy testing among AUKUS partners in April 2023. (U.K. Ministry of Defence)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Among the AUKUS Pillar 2 advancements made thus far are the successful interplay of air and ground vehicles, including Blue Bear Ghost drones, Challenger 2 main battle tanks and a commercially hired FV433 Abbot self-propelled artillery gun, and the development of software that enables the sharing of submarine-hunting information over a vast region such as the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll three countries have P-8s. All three countries have sonobuoys,\u201d Horowitz said, referencing the Boeing-made maritime patrol aircraft as well as sound sensors that float in the water to collect and relay data. \u201cSo our teams are working together on an algorithm that will let us gather data from U.K. and Australian sonobuoys, and vice-versa, that we can all roll out on our P-8s<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Defense Department years ago identified AI as a game-changer; the technology, officials say, can quickly parse otherwise overwhelming amounts of information, augment a commander\u2019s decision-making process, and help reallocate precious manpower. The department in fiscal 2024 requested $1.8 billion for AI while juggling hundreds of related projects, including some tied to major weapons systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI is also a critical piece of the Defense Department\u2019s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control<\/a> concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\t