A collaboration among the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East and neighboring areas to establish a common data pool on regional threats is making a “slow but steady progress,” a ranking U.S. Air Forces Central official, said.
AFCENT Deputy Commander Brig. Gen David Mineau told the Dubai International Air Chiefs Conference on Sunday that the initiative on threats among 17 allies in the Middle East, Central and South Asia remains saddled with trust issues. A central data hub with anonymous but trusted sources could be one approach to the trust issue while building relationships to develop trust is another, he said.
Air Forces Central is working on both approaches across the operating picture and intelligence common within the command’s region, the general added.
According to Mineau, there remains a “long way to go on policy, trust-building,” he said, giving a grade of B-minus overall to the current data-sharing initiative.