Task Force 59 Commissioning Ceremony

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, left, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, shakes hands with Capt. Michael D. Brasseur, the first commodore of Task Force (TF 59) during a commissioning ceremony for TF 59 onboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Sept. 9 2021. (U.S. Navy photo/Dawson Roth)

US Naval Forces Central Command’s investment in Task Force 59, a home for unmanned and artificial intelligence experiments in the Central Command region, could pay dividends for both the US and its partners. But, say Jasmin Alsaied and Bilal Saab of the Middle East Institute, more work is needed for it to reach its full potential. 

Nothing breeds creativity more than scarcity. To compensate for its reduced military posture in the Middle East, the United States has emphasized innovative approaches to security cooperation with regional partners, and the returns have been significant.

The most obvious and impressive of these returns is Task Force (TF) 59, US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT)’s latest creation. An incubator that seeks to propel artificial intelligence and unmanned systems into the region, TF 59 leads the way in carrying out exercises and developing practices that support partner nations in their attempts to build capabilities with new technologies. By late 2023, TF 59 plans to put over 100 unmanned vessels in regional waters.

TF 59 has a scheme of maneuver that enables joint integration, interoperability, and international involvement by alleviating many of the pitfalls that stop nations from participating in joint exercises. Juniper Oak, the recent US-Israel combined exercise that showcased joint all-domain command and control (a key strategic imperative of the Department of Defense), could serve as a template for future engagement in the region — though it all depends on how the capabilities of other regional partners evolve.

TF 59’s strides in improved maritime domain awareness have been notable and should be praised. But they need to be viewed as a starting point, not the end-all. To move the issue forward, there are three challenges in the current framework that need to be addressed: First, a lack of technically-trained human capital; second, the absence of an organization-wide cultural shift towards digitized operations; and third, meager partner capacity and willingness.

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To address the first challenge, US Central Command (CENTCOM) could prioritize the detailing and assignment of individuals to TF59 familiar with innovative technologies and AI systems to ensure that tech-savvy disruptors can help field systems and understand how they feed into larger ecosystems and platforms more frequently used by partner nations. The solution here is not to increase Department of Defense Title 10-funded billets; rather, to solicit and retain individuals with technically-proficient defense management, mission planning, and regional experts to serve in critical roles attached to combatant commands, embassy teams, and other relevant offices.

Military officers who are formally trained in security cooperation can help add to the bilateral relationship and help clarify partner requirements and barriers to improving capability. Specialists who are technically proficient and well-poised to consult on defense acquisition are the best candidates for the job. They possess experience and understanding of foreign military sales, authority-to-operate requirements, mission planning, and other necessary tools and instruments vital to security cooperation.

While unmanned surface vehicles and remote sensing equipment play a large role in providing critical information to improve mission effectiveness, CENTCOM would be well advised not to spend too many resources to acquire commercial-off-the-shelf systems that create insurmountable difficulties in integrating with legacy technologies. Using tech-savvy human talent to anticipate and work through these challenges early in the development phase of these commercial technologies will be vital to improving the public-private partnership that powers military technologies.

To address the second challenge: as CENTCOM continues to develop, test, and integrate these systems, there must also be a commensurate cultural shift to continue training in digital environments. The only way to truly know if software, hardware, and other technologies can meet requirements and endure is to vigorously test them both individually and as part of a larger mission set.

On the final challenge, partners must be encouraged and supported to pursue their own acquisitions of unmanned or AI platforms — as long as it is compatible with US interests, by which we realistically mean no Chinese or Russian capabilities. Otherwise, the joint enterprise will struggle. If TF 59 intends to strive for improved security cooperation and robust partner capacity, CENTCOM will need to invest resources in personnel trained in defense management and acquisition to ensure that partners possess the tools and systems needed to participate in multi-domain exercises. Acquisition, however, cannot be the last step. Encouragement, follow-up, and training are needed to ensure that partners build the familiarity to operate these systems correctly and independently.

CENTCOM is able and willing to be at the forefront of some aspects of the US military’s innovation revolution. With a refocused lens on human talent and technology integration, CENTCOM will continue to push the envelope and forge a path for the use of unmanned vessels and remote sensors in daily warfighting functions in the region.

The Middle East may have lost some of its luster in US global strategy due to new US geopolitical priorities, but the region is proving to be a test-bed for military innovation that could be incredibly helpful for other priority regions such as the Indo-Pacific.

Jasmin Alsaied is a Fellow in the Defense and Security Program at the Middle East Institute (MEI). Bilal Y. Saab is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Defense and Security Program at MEI.