US Army Focuses on Integrating Manned, Unmanned Systems to Reduce Safety Risks

Maj. Gen. Robert Edmonson II, commander of the U.S. Army’s Communications and Electronics Command, said the integration of manned and unmanned systems is among the service’s current priorities.

In an interview with Federal Drive during the Association of the U.S. Army conference, Edmonson said the Army aims to reduce safety risks facing soldiers through the deployment of uncrewed platforms where appropriate.

He noted that autonomous systems will not operate without human intervention to maintain ethical use of artificial intelligence technologies, Federal News Network reported.

Edmonson, meanwhile, said his organization is interested in collaborating with the industry and academia on AI and machine learning as the command explores Agile methods of delivering software capabilities.

CECOM deals with hardware and software sustainment for command and control, communications, computers, information, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment. 

According to the CECOM commander, while his organization aims to accelerate code delivery, it should ensure the synchronization of military hardware and software. “We cannot put ourselves in the position of having hardware that is not able to run the software,” Edmonson said.