Project Maven

Last updated

Project Maven (officially Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team) is a Pentagon project involving using machine learning and data fusion to process data from many sources, identify potential targets, display information through a user interface, and transmit human decisions to weapon systems, among other functions. It began in 2017. Since 2021, it had been used in multiple military conflicts involving the US.

Contents

Origins

Initially, the effort was led by Robert O. Work who was concerned about China's military use of the emerging technology. [1] Reportedly, Pentagon development stops short of acting as an AI weapons system capable of firing on self-designated targets. [2] The project was established in a memo by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense on 26 April 2017. [3]

At the second Defense One Tech Summit in July 2017, Cukor also said that the investment in a "deliberate workflow process" was funded by the Department [of Defense] through its "rapid acquisition authorities" for about "the next 36 months". [4]

According to Lt. Gen. of the United States Air Force Jack Shanahan in November 2017, it is "designed to be that pilot project, that pathfinder, that spark that kindles the flame front of artificial intelligence across the rest of the [Defense] Department". [5] Its chief, U.S. Marine Corps Col. Drew Cukor, said: "People and computers will work symbiotically to increase the ability of weapon systems to detect objects." [6] Project Maven has been noted by allies, such as Australia's Ian Langford, for the ability to identify adversaries by harvesting data from sensors on UAVs and satellite. [7]

In 2022, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency took over Project Maven. [8]

Technology

Project Maven involves data fusion. For data fusion, the Pentagon originally collaborated with Google, but in 2018, Google employees, including Meredith Whittaker, staged walkouts protesting Google's involvement in Project Maven. [9] [10] Subsequently, Google did not renew the contract with Pentagon. [11]

Companies that have contributed to the data fusion include Palantir Technologies, Amazon Web Services, ECS Federal, L3Harris Technologies, Maxar Technologies, Microsoft and Sierra Nevada Corporation. The main data-fusion platform is made by Palantir. [12] At least 21 private companies had been involved. [13]

The data sources include photographs, satellite imagery, geolocation data (IP address, geotag, metadata, etc) from communications intercepts, infrared sensors, synthetic-aperture radar, etc. Machine learning systems, including object recognition systems, process the data and identify potential targets, such as enemy tanks or location of new military facility. The training dataset included at least 4 million images of military objects such as warships, labelled by humans. The user interface is called Maven Smart System. It could display information such as aircraft movements, logistics, locations of key personnel, locations on the no-strike list, ships, etc. Yellow-outlined boxes show potential targets. Blue-outlined boxes show friendly forces or no-strike zones. It could also transmit, directly to weapons, a human decision to fire weapons. [12]

Applications

Scarlet Dragon exercises

The 18th Airborne Corps is the main tester of Project Maven. With collaborating arms organization in US and UK, it has used Maven and weapons systems connected to it to strike targets from bombers, fighter jets and drones. [12]

Beginning in 2020, Maven was used for live-fire exercises ("Scarlet Dragon exercises"). [13] The first took place at Fort Liberty. An AI system identified a tank in satellite images, the human approved, and the AI system signaled an M142 HIMARS to strike the target (in this case, a decommissioned tank). It was the first AI-enabled artillery strike in the US army. [12]

There are 6 steps in the kill chain: identify, locate, filter down to the lawful valid targets, prioritize, assign them to firing units, and fire. [13] Of these 6 steps, Maven can perform 4. A senior targeting officer estimates that with Maven, he could decide on 80 targets per hour, vs 30 targets per hour without Maven. [12] The efficiency was comparable with the targeting cell used during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but whereas the OIF used a targeting cell with roughly 2000 staff, the 18th Airborne used a targeting cell with 20 people. [13]

Use in actual conflicts

In the 2021 Kabul airlift, Maven was used to display the situation on the ground. It could simultaneously display data feeds, such as aircraft movements, logistics, threats and locations of key personnel such as Chris Donahue. [12]

In the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Maven was used to display information on Ukrainian will to resist Russian forces, and locations of Russian equipment.

In February 2024, Maven was used for narrowing targets for airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. It was also used for locating rocket launchers in Yemen and surface vessels in the Red Sea, some of which were destroyed in February 2024 according to CENTCOM. [12] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DARPA</span> Technology research and development agency of the U.S. Department of Defense

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the agency was created on February 7, 1958, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in response to the Soviet launching of Sputnik 1 in 1957. By collaborating with academia, industry, and government partners, DARPA formulates and executes research and development projects to expand the frontiers of technology and science, often beyond immediate U.S. military requirements. The name of the organization first changed from its founding name, ARPA, to DARPA, in March 1972, changing back to ARPA in February 1993, then reverted to DARPA in March 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missile</span> Self-propelled guided weapon system

A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomahawk (missile family)</span> Long-range, subsonic cruise missile

The BGM-109 TomahawkLand Attack Missile (TLAM) is an American long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing YAL-1</span> Airborne laser demonstrator aircraft by Boeing

The Boeing YAL-1 airborne laser testbed was a modified Boeing 747-400F with a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside. It was primarily designed to test its feasibility as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) while in boost phase. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerial warfare</span> Military combat involving aircraft

Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare. Aerial warfare includes bombers attacking enemy installations or a concentration of enemy troops or strategic targets; fighter aircraft battling for control of airspace; attack aircraft engaging in close air support against ground targets; naval aviation flying against sea and nearby land targets; gliders, helicopters and other aircraft to carry airborne forces such as paratroopers; aerial refueling tankers to extend operation time or range; and military transport aircraft to move cargo and personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle</span> American all-weather multirole fighter aircraft

The McDonnell DouglasF-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic-warfare aircraft. United States Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagles can be generally distinguished from other US Eagle variants by darker aircraft camouflage, conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) mounted along the engine intake ramps and a tandem-seat cockpit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance</span> Military doctrinal concept

ISTAR stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing the information they gather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space warfare</span> Combat that takes place in outer space

Space warfare is combat in which one or more belligerents are in outer space. The scope of space warfare includes ground-to-space warfare, such as attacking satellites from the Earth; space-to-space warfare, such as satellites attacking satellites; and space-to-ground warfare, such as satellites attacking Earth-based targets. Space warfare in fiction is thus sub-genre and theme of science fiction, where it is portrayed with a range of realism and plausibility. In the real world, international treaties are in place that attempt to regulate conflicts in space and limit the installation of space weapon systems, especially nuclear weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Militarisation of space</span> Use of outer space for military aims

The militarisation of space involves the placement and development of weaponry and military technology in outer space. The early exploration of space in the mid-20th century had, in part, a military motivation, as the United States and the Soviet Union used it as an opportunity to demonstrate ballistic-missile technology and other technologies having the potential for military application. Outer space has since been used as an operating location for military spacecraft such as imaging and communications satellites, and some ballistic missiles pass through outer space during their flight. As of 2018, known deployments of weapons stationed in space include only the Almaz space-station armament and pistols such as the TP-82 Cosmonaut survival pistol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifth-generation fighter</span> Classification of sophisticated jet fighter aircraft entering service since 2005

A fifth-generation fighter is a jet fighter aircraft classification which includes major technologies developed during the first part of the 21st century. As of 2024, these are the most advanced fighters in operation. The characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter are not universally agreed upon, and not every fifth-generation type necessarily has them all; however, they typically include stealth, low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPIR), agile airframes with supercruise performance, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other elements within the battlespace for situational awareness and C3 (command, control and communications) capabilities.

Palantir Technologies Inc. is a public American company that specializes in software platforms for big data analytics. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, it was founded by Peter Thiel, Stephen Cohen, Joe Lonsdale, and Alex Karp in 2003. The company's name is derived from The Lord of the Rings where the magical palantíri were "seeing-stones," described as indestructible balls of crystal used for communication and to see events in other parts of the world.

Cyberwarfare is the use of computer technology to disrupt the activities of a state or organization, especially the deliberate attacking of information systems for strategic or military purposes. As a major developed economy, the United States is highly dependent on the Internet and therefore greatly exposed to cyber attacks. At the same time, the United States has substantial capabilities in both defense and offensive power projection thanks to comparatively advanced technology and a large military budget. Cyberwarfare presents a growing threat to physical systems and infrastructures that are linked to the internet. Malicious hacking from domestic or foreign enemies remains a constant threat to the United States. In response to these growing threats, the United States has developed significant cyber capabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lethal autonomous weapon</span> Autonomous military technology system

Lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs) are a type of autonomous military system that can independently search for and engage targets based on programmed constraints and descriptions. LAWs are also known as lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), autonomous weapon systems (AWS), robotic weapons or killer robots. LAWs may operate in the air, on land, on water, underwater, or in space. The autonomy of systems as of 2018 was restricted in the sense that a human gives the final command to attack—though there are exceptions with certain "defensive" systems.

Drone warfare is a form of warfare using robots. Robot types include unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) or weaponized commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), unmanned surface vehicles, and ground based drones. The United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, China, South Korea, Iran, Iraq, Italy, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Poland are known to have manufactured operational UCAVs as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campaign to Stop Killer Robots</span> Coalition of organizations

The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots is a coalition of non-governmental organizations who seek to pre-emptively ban lethal autonomous weapons.

A military artificial intelligence arms race is an arms race between two or more states to develop and deploy lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). Since the mid-2010s, many analysts have noted the emergence of such an arms race between superpowers for better military AI, driven by increasing geopolitical and military tensions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Futures Command</span> U.S. Army Command that runs modernization projects

The United States Army Futures Command (AFC) is a United States Army command that runs modernization projects. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Artificial Intelligence Center</span>

The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) (pronounced "jake") was an American organization on exploring the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) (particularly Edge computing), Network of Networks and AI-enhanced communication for use in actual combat. In February 2022, JAIC was integrated into the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO).

Joint All-Domain Command and Control or JADC2 is the concept that the Department of Defense has developed to connect sensors from all branches of the armed forces into a § unified network powered by artificial intelligence. These branches include the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, as well as Space Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anduril Industries</span> American defense technology company

Anduril Industries, Inc. is an American defense technology company that specializes in autonomous systems. It was cofounded in 2017 by inventor and entrepreneur Palmer Luckey and others. Anduril aims to sell to the U.S. Department of Defense, including artificial intelligence and robotics. Anduril's major products include unmanned aerial systems (UAS) & counter-UAS (CUAS), semi-portable autonomous surveillance systems, and networked command and control software.

References

  1. ↑ Cade Metz. (15 March 2018). "Pentagon Wants Silicon Valley's Help on A.I.". NY Times website Archived 2022-04-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Report: Palantir took over Project Maven, the military AI program too unethical for Google". The Next Web. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  3. ↑ Robert O. Work (26 April 2017). "Establishment of an Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team (Project Maven)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  4. ↑ Cheryl Pellerin (21 July 2017). "Project Maven to Deploy Computer Algorithms to War Zone by Year's End". DoD News, Defense Media Activity. United States Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  5. ↑ Allen, Gregory C. (21 December 2017). "Project Maven brings AI to the fight against ISIS". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists . Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Ethan Baron (3 June 2018). "Google Backs Off from Pentagon Project After Uproar: Report". Military.com . Mercury.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Skinner, Dan (29 January 2020). "Signature Management in Accelerated Warfare | Close Combat in the 21st Century". The Cove. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  8. ↑ Tucker, Patrick (2022-04-26). "NGA Will Take Over Pentagon's Flagship AI Program". Defense One. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  9. ↑ Greenberg, Andy. "Under Meredith Whittaker, Signal Is Out to Prove Surveillance Capitalism Wrong". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  10. ↑ "Google 'to end' Pentagon Artificial Intelligence project". BBC News . 2 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Google Renounces AI Weapons; Will Still Work With Military". Bloomberg.com. 2018-06-07. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Manson, Katrina (February 28, 2024). "AI Warfare Is Already Here". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Building the Tech Coalition: How Project Maven and the U.S. 18th Airborne Corps Operationalized Software and Artificial Intelligence for the Department of Defense. Emelia Probasco, August 2024. Center for Security and Emerging Technology
  14. ↑ "US Used AI to Help Find Middle East Targets for Airstrikes". Bloomberg.com. 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.