Some airmen in Southwest Asia call themselves “the ghosts of the base” when they perform escort duty—standing and watching silently—for local nationals working on coalition facilities, reports Air Force public affairs officer Maj. Ann Knabe. These airmen get two days training, then start their duty, often shepherding more than 300 “third country nationals,” or TCNs, on a typical day. On one day there may be as many as 150 airmen working as escorts. The TCNs, themselves, work at any number of jobs, including aiding security force efforts by identifying security breaches.
Current and near-term Chinese artificial intelligence capabilities could counter or replicate how the U.S. military plans and conducts operations, especially complex strike packages such as those seen recently in Iran, according to a new think tank report.