JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
The 633d Security Forces Squadron enhances base defense capabilities through sentry towers at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Jan. 2022.
Determining whether technology could help protect Langley Air Force Base waterways, Sean McGee, 633d SFS, Anti-Terrorism program manager, discovered, in his research, U.S. Marines use artificial intelligence to provide surveillance in remote areas. This discovery provided a cost-effective method to protecting the waterways with modern technology.
“Using [artificial intelligence] is the way of the future,” said McGee. “We are always looking for innovative technology to secure the base.”
After creating and organizing a plan of action, the 633d SFS partnered with Auduril, a defense technology company that solves complex national security problems, to construct sentry towers, providing intelligence to identify unauthorized personnel on the base’s coastline.
“The use of new technology can help us provide early detection, of real time, threats to JBLE,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Christopher Belgrave, 633d Security Forces Squadron Installation Security section chief.
Though previously patrolled by the maritime patrol unit, manpower constraints prevent their 24-hour presence on the water. The sentry towers allow an autonomous approach to security, decreasing manning efforts.
“If the [operations] tempo picks up, we can do more with less,” said McGee. “The use of this technology demonstrates the [Agile Combat Employment] concept.”
The ACE concept illustrates a proactive and reactive operational scheme of maneuver executed within threat timelines, to increase survivability, while generating combat power. Essentially, ACE is the concept to emphasize the necessity to know how to do more with less.
Anduril provides the JBLE with a cost saving, future proof solution using Lattice, a multi-modal sensor fusion platform.
The software operates by gathering information from various sensors and accurately displays potential threats on a screen. Lattice operators then alert 633d SFS of a threat so they can respond appropriately. This approach enables the operation of sensors far outside their standard capabilities and reduces false alarms.
“Technology helps us gain security advantages, while increasing the efficiency of operations, and decreasing operational risks,” said Belgrave.
Among the benefits of partnering with a technology company, is the ability to secure safety measures for the base without increasing military manning to do so. This collaboration represents the innovation that exists within the Air Force.