WASHINGTON -Tech. Sgt. Bryan Scharman, Non-commissioned Officer In Charge of Cyber Support of the 151st Communications Flight in the Utah National Guard, works on setting up communications between supported agencies during the 58th Presidential Inauguration. (National Guard photo by Tech. Jonathan Young, JTF-DC)
MOBILE, Ala. — If 2023 was the year that OpenAI’s ChatGPT exploded onto the public scene, 2024 was the year the US military and Intelligence Community began carefully wading into the potential of generative AI.
Officials have said that kind of tech could be used for everything from streamlining acquisition to sifting through a mountain of open source data for relatively low-level intelligence analysis. And while the Pentagon has grown to trust generative AI enough to build a new “cell” around it’s use, many officials are still cautious because the cutting edge technology is not without its risks, especially its propensity to “hallucinate” false information.
Echoing many other officials this year, Jimmy Hall, chief information officer in the State Department’s intelligence wing, said last week, “We want to be able to use a gen AI,” but the office is “just not ready.”
“As we step our way through, we don’t want to be so quick to the trigger that we put our situation where civil liberties or privacy or something else is violated,” Hall said in a webinar put on by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. “So we’re really behind the scenes testing a few items, mechanisms, systems, tools, before we’re ready to roll that out. But we do want to take advantage of emerging technology.”
So while generative AIs may not be fully ready for prime time in many ways, the fact that the US security establishment is eagerly pursuing use cases makes it worthy of some of our own experimentation. As such, below is an end-of-year interview with ChatGPT, which has been armed with a document compiled by Breaking Defense containing every Pentagon transcript posted on Defense.gov since Jan. 1, 2024 up to the middle of last week.
This interview was conducted with the less robust, free version of ChatGPT, GPT-4o mini, and the application has been directed to keep its answers shorter than usual. The following transcript has been slightly edited and additional context has been added in Editor’s Notes.
Breaking Defense: What was the biggest development in the world of defense in 2024?
ChatGPT: The biggest development in defense in 2024 was the launch and execution of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational coalition effort involving over 22 nations to secure vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from escalating Houthi attacks, supported by Iran. This operation demonstrated a significant shift towards proactive, collective international defense strategies, leveraging advanced technologies and persistent presence to ensure maritime security and economic stability.
[Editor’s Note: This is a bit of a curious answer. While Prosperity Guardian and its parallel European counterpart Operation Aspides are certainly potent international security collaborations, 2024 saw several arguably more significant developments in the Middle East region alone, from the killing of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah to the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.]
Ensign Hunter Riportella relays information from the bridge aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) during a vertical replenishment with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) while the ships operate in support of Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) in the Red Sea, Jan. 8, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Krucke)
How did US policy change toward Ukraine in 2024, if at all?
In 2024, U.S. policy toward Ukraine remained consistent in its commitment to supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression, with continued delivery of advanced weapons systems and training for Ukrainian pilots, including on F-16 fighter jets. However, the policy faced challenges due to depleted replenishment funds for military aid, underscoring the need for congressional approval of supplemental funding to sustain assistance levels.
[Editor’s Note: Yup, pretty much, even if the US and Europe have apparently run out of Ukrainian pilots to train on the F-16. What Congress will do with regard to Ukraine aid under the incoming Trump administration is another question entirely.]
What are the Pentagon’s top concerns as it relates to the future of Syria?
The Pentagon’s top concerns regarding the future of Syria include the persistent threat posed by Iranian-backed proxies, such as Harakat al-Nujaba, which continue to target U.S. forces in the region, and the destabilizing influence of actors like Iran and other extremist groups. Ensuring the safety of U.S. forces and maintaining the fight against ISIS to prevent its resurgence remain critical priorities, while managing broader regional dynamics and avoiding escalation with Iran.
[Editor’s Note: Here, ChatGPT’s answer is consistent with fears officials have publicly expressed, though the particular mention of Harakat al-Nujaba is a bit unusual. The Pentagon announced it had killed a leader of that group back in January 2024, but has made little mention of it since in official transcripts, and media reporting does not appear to have identified the group as a specific concern currently.]
Fighters walk in the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus’ Mount Qasyoun on December 8, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
In 2024, what were the Pentagon’s top priorities in the Indo-Pacific region?
The Pentagon’s top priorities in the Indo-Pacific region in 2024 included ensuring regional security and stability through extended deterrence and collaboration with allies, particularly in the face of threats from China and North Korea. Efforts focused on mitigating risks of conflict over Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula while maintaining strong defense partnerships to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.
[Editor’s Note: That does about sum it up, especially the focus on international partnerships in the region, which has been a top priority for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.]
What was the Defense Department’s biggest mistake in 2024?
The Defense Department’s biggest mistake in 2024 was the delayed notification and lack of transparency regarding Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization and the temporary transfer of certain operational authorities. This lapse highlighted weaknesses in communication protocols, prompting internal reviews to improve procedures and ensure timely dissemination of critical information to senior officials and the public.
[Editor’s Note: There’s a necessary reminder here that ChatGPT is answering based on Pentagon transcripts, and the fervor around Austin’s secret January hospitalization required several days of cleanup from the Pentagon public affairs office — hence the emphasis from the generative AI. Arguably the DoD made bigger, or at least more impactful mistakes in 2024, whether it was related to troubled weapons programs or broader defense policy, but officials tend to be more circumspect about those kinds of calls.]
