In a candid and wide-ranging discussion at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit in Washington on September 10, 2025, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, painted a picture of a world beset by simultaneous and complex security threats—a scenario so intense that, in his own words, "Tom Clancy, on his most inspired day, would probably struggle to come up with the number of serious and simultaneous events that are going on in the world right now." According to The National and other sources, this moment of frankness from America’s highest-ranking military officer underscored a growing urgency within the Pentagon to adopt advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and artificial general intelligence (AGI), to help navigate these turbulent times.
Just before 10:00 AM on September 10, Caine recounted, U.S. military and intelligence officials were juggling crises across four major regions: Europe, the Pacific, the Western Hemisphere, and the Middle East. "Just yesterday morning, before 10 a.m., we were dealing with an issue in Europe. We were dealing with an issue in the Pacific. We were dealing [with] an issue in our own hemisphere, and, of course, an issue in the Middle East," Caine told the audience, as reported by The National and other outlets.
These remarks came on the heels of two unprecedented events the previous day. On September 9, Israeli forces carried out a rare air strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar—a move widely described as unprecedented by multiple sources, including The National and The Washington Examiner. That same day, Russian drones invaded Polish airspace, prompting NATO to scramble fighter jets and activate air defenses in response. It marked the first time NATO planes have directly engaged potential threats in allied airspace, a development that, according to Poland’s prime minister, brought the possibility of a large-scale war "closer than at any time since the Second World War."
But the threats didn’t end there. Early September also saw the U.S. deploying additional personnel and naval assets to Latin America, with a particular focus on combating drug cartels in the Caribbean. According to The Washington Examiner, U.S. forces recently conducted a strike on a vessel allegedly operated by the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua gang, which the Trump administration had designated a foreign terrorist organization in February. Eleven people aboard the vessel were killed in the operation. Traditionally, the U.S. Coast Guard would intercept such ships and arrest those on board, but the escalation underscores the changing nature of these threats.
General Caine, who took the helm as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in April 2025 after a career that included stints as an F-16 fighter pilot, CIA Associate Director for Military Affairs, and private sector entrepreneur, emphasized that the sheer volume and diversity of current global risks demand new tools and approaches. "I think there’s always the risk of unintended escalation, and that’s what’s so important about using advanced tech tools to understand the environment that we’re operating in and to help leaders see and sense the risk that we’re facing. And there’s really no shortage of those risks right now," Caine said, as quoted by DefenseScoop.
Central to Caine’s vision is the development and deployment of a "global risk algorithm"—a sophisticated AI-driven system designed to evaluate the sprawling and interconnected threat landscape. "When I think about a global risk algorithm and how to measure global risk, it’s comprised of many, many variables, and not all equally weighted. But nonetheless, we see a lot of frothiness right now in the global security environment," he explained to summit attendees. The term "frothiness" here captures the sense of volatility and unpredictability that now characterizes international affairs.
Caine’s advocacy for AI and AGI is not just theoretical. He revealed that his team is already leveraging these technologies to "see and sense those risks," aiming to identify potential flashpoints before they spiral out of control. The hope, he said, is that these tools will allow military and government leaders to more deeply assess both the "equation of risk" and the "equation of response"—key elements in making informed, timely decisions across the U.S. military, intelligence community, and allied agencies.
But technology alone isn’t enough, Caine argued. He called for the integration of advanced commercial cybersecurity capabilities into the military’s operations, emphasizing the importance of public-private partnerships. "Our private sector teammates bring us these great capabilities that we bring into the joint force," he said, according to The National. These collaborations, he believes, will help create "multiple simultaneous dilemmas" for adversaries, thereby strengthening deterrence and giving U.S. forces a schematic advantage on the global stage.
The summit also featured remarks from other senior officials, including President Trump’s top cyber security adviser, Sean Cairncross. Cairncross described China as the "most aggressive" cyber adversary currently facing the United States, citing Beijing’s growing competence, sophistication, and scale in targeting American technology infrastructure. "We will create an enduring advantage over China," Cairncross declared, urging the audience to put American citizens and companies first in the face of mounting cyber threats.
General Caine’s comments at the summit reflected not just a recognition of the current dangers, but also a confidence that the Pentagon is adapting swiftly. He expressed optimism that the Department of Defense is moving to "buy and field combat capability ahead of the technical development curve—not behind it." As he put it, "Be patient with us a little bit, as we’re on this journey of learning."
Meanwhile, the U.S. military’s operational tempo shows no sign of slowing. Earlier this week, Caine and War Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Puerto Rico to meet with sailors and Marines taking part in the Caribbean buildup against drug cartels. The message was clear: the United States is determined to confront threats wherever they emerge, whether from state actors, non-state groups, or criminal organizations.
As the world’s security environment grows ever more unpredictable, the Pentagon’s embrace of cutting-edge technology, combined with closer collaboration with the private sector, may well prove decisive. For now, though, leaders like General Dan Caine are tasked with navigating a landscape so complex that even the most imaginative thriller writers would be hard-pressed to keep up.