The Air Force is using some of its air traffic controllers in an unusual way—they guide fighters to targets. That’s a job normally handled by USAF terminal attack controllers or air battle managers, but in the southern third of Iraq, it is now part of the daily routine of area control center controllers who also oversee routine air traffic. If they see suspicious activity on their scope within a “kill box,” they direct a fighter to the area, then monitor it to keep other aircraft out of the way.
The Air Force is offering space on five of its bases for companies to build artificial intelligence data centers, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to speed up development of the infrastructure needed to enable the rapid development and adoption of AI technology.
