The United States and United Arab Emirates are preparing to form a new team that will work on artificial intelligence for military purposes, U.S. Central Command announced July 28. Called Task Force Talon Synapse, the group is expected to begin operating within the next several weeks.
About 20 American and Emirati personnel will make up the Abu Dhabi-based team. Members will have backgrounds in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data, bringing several technical fields together in one group.
The project will be the first bilateral task force between CENTCOM and the UAE specifically centered on developing military uses for AI. Its work will cover several areas connected to military operations and security across the region.
Part of the team’s job will be exploring how AI can support intelligence work and help personnel process information. The group will also examine possible uses of the technology for keeping important infrastructure secure and following changes in the regional security environment.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, described the UAE as a capable regional partner when announcing the agreement. He said the two countries want to move quickly as new AI technology develops and find ways to put those tools into the hands of military personnel.
The idea for Task Force Talon Synapse had been under discussion before the July 28 announcement. Last year, Cooper and UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan talked about the possibility of creating a joint group focused on military AI.
Those discussions continued more recently. During a trip to the region last month, CENTCOM met with AI industry leaders and Emirati defense officials as the plan continued to take shape.
The UAE has also been working for years to expand the role of artificial intelligence in its defense capabilities. One of those efforts has involved cooperation with Anduril to produce advanced autonomous drones.
Artificial intelligence has become a larger focus for the U.S. military as well. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Defense Department to speed up its adoption of the technology across military operations, with the department seeking to make AI a bigger part of how it operates.
AI and emerging technology have also come up in broader discussions between the United States and UAE. In March 2025, Sheikh Tahnoon visited the White House for talks that covered relations between the two countries as well as artificial intelligence and other developing technologies.
More recently, the U.S. Commerce Department announced that certain advanced computing equipment could be sent to the UAE without a license. The items include technology such as AI chips and servers, with the change also applying to G42, an AI company chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon.
Task Force Talon Synapse will bring American and Emirati specialists into the same small team in Abu Dhabi. CENTCOM has not announced a specific starting date, but said the group is scheduled to formally begin its work in the coming weeks.
USA = Green
UAE = Orange
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