TRANSCOM Uses AI Agents for First Time in Operation Epic Fury After Spain Denies Tanker Access
In a historic operational first, U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) deployed artificial intelligence agents to rapidly solve a logistics crisis during Operation Epic Fury in March. When Spain abruptly closed its airspace and bases to U.S. aircraft supporting strikes on Iran, forcing more than a dozen KC-135 refuelers to leave Morón Air Base and Naval Station Rota, TRANSCOM planners used AI tools to evaluate available airfields across the region. Chief Data and AI Officer Ryan Samuelson explained that AI agents analyzed capacity constraints—including parking maximums, ground capacity, and basing/overflight restrictions—producing optimized solutions in minutes or hours instead of days. The command relied on the Defense Department's War Data Platform and Palantir's Maven Smart System to fuse data and predict support needs weeks in advance. TRANSCOM Commander Gen. Randall Reed noted AI is improving mission projection and sustainment by providing options, predictive insights, and validation of years of experience. The system also enables predictive maintenance alerts and proactive logistics positioning before units request supplies.
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