BLUF: War on the Cloud

It's no secret: the President loves planes.

In fact, President Trump's fixation on aircraft has produced many defining moments in his second term. From the unveiling of the eponymous F-47 next-generation fighter jet, to restyling the livery of Air Force One and the America 250 Anniversary aircraft, to orchestrating intimidating flyovers, and his championing of the iconic B-2, a model of which he proudly displayed on the Resolute Desk just this week, the examples continue to pile up.

So if you are looking for areas of common ground between the Commander and Chief and the military, look no further than America's air power. 

American aircraft have systematically dismantled many parts of Iran's military capabilities from the skies at a pace and precision of target acquisition never before seen in modern warfare. The aircraft, and the men and women who fly and sustain them, deserve every accolade. But we want to draw attention to the other end of the capability spectrum: the data centers quietly enabling these rapid strikes.

It should come as no surprise that data centers across the Gulf have emerged as prime targets for Iranian retaliation. Three have been reportedly struck so far, with Iranian state outlets claiming they were targeted precisely because they supported AI systems running intelligence and military workloads for U.S. defense applications.

As data centers and the AI systems that operationalize them become increasingly vital for combat operations, adversaries will continue to probe them through both physical and cyber means. Defending these sites is now a national security imperative, one that impacts soldiers’ operations on the front lines.

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