The fuel technicians of the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, have to dig the unit’s huge fuel storage bladders out of the snow—by hand. It takes 12 airmen about two hours per berm, and there are 10 berms, each extending about 10,000 square feet. Snow on the storage bladders causes problems, such as changing the pressure readings for the fuel, and if its melts, it can lock the bags in pools of ice potentially causing the bag to break and leak valuable fuel. The Manas fuel activity is vital to operations in Afghanistan, where KC-135 tankers dispense about 150,000 gallons of fuel every day.
Concerned about how artificial intelligence might be used to generate target lists or operational plans, lawmakers want to expand limits on autonomous weapons to address mission planning and target selection. The House Armed Services Committee's version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization bill would direct the Pentagon to revise Defense…