The U.S. Army is looking for new, high-tech solutions to improve the security of its ammunition production and storage facilities. Inexpensive but effective technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are poised to play a key role in protecting these facilities. These solutions, which are being developed specifically to combat threats such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aim to minimize vulnerabilities.
Vulnerabilities and Threats
Speaking at the Global Forces Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, Brigadier General Ronnie Anderson, Commander of the Joint Munitions Command, highlighted the serious threats to the security of munitions sites. In one example, a local duck hunter got off his boat, grabbed his rifle and entered the munitions site, demonstrating the vulnerability of such facilities. Anderson said there have been 13 drone attacks in 42 theaters of operations, but the reasons for these attacks are not clear. He said drones are sometimes used with malicious intent, and sometimes by simply curious individuals, but these individuals are not questioned.
Limitations and Costs of Physical Disabilities
Traditional security measures are limited to barbed wire and fences, especially those built around facilities. However, the cost of such barriers is quite high. For example, the cost of building a fence around the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas was estimated at approximately $80 million. It has been emphasized that such expenses should be replaced by more cost-effective technological solutions.
Artificial Intelligence-Powered Mobile Security Solutions
Anderson stated that AI-supported security solutions offer an important alternative. He stated that a mobile trailer that can detect potential threats can be set up for a cost of less than $5 million using sensors, cameras, radars and an IT network. This mobile system can send an alert to the emergency operations center when dangerous situations are detected. Thanks to its learning ability, AI can recognize unmanned aerial vehicles, determine the type of these vehicles and provide feedback to the system with this information. In this way, security threats can be intervened more quickly and effectively.
Applications and Experiments
The U.S. Army is working with industry partners to implement AI-based wide-area security. Experiments on such systems are underway at the Bluegrass Army Depot in Kentucky, while a similar project has begun at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Missouri. These experiments are being conducted to test how quickly and accurately AI can recognize and respond to security threats.
Future Security Strategies
Brigadier General Anderson stressed that it is critical to resolve security issues now. He noted that it is economically and practically unfeasible to deploy armed guards on every corner of thousands of acres of land, especially in future conflicts. Therefore, AI and other technologies are expected to play a significant role in addressing such security threats.
The US Army is taking important steps towards using AI-supported solutions to ensure the security of ammunition depots. It is expected that such technologies will play a major role in the future in terms of both cost-effectiveness and high-performance security. In addition, the development of effective solutions against UAVs and other new threats seems to have an important place in the army's security strategies. These developments also reveal that the effective use of technology in the field of defense should be increased.
