Policy
Senior officers advised Hegseth to keep civilian-protection program. He axed it anyway
The U.S. military has killed hundreds of noncombatants since gutting its Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response mission. The blowback may lead to a partial restoration.
Threats
Treasury sanctions Iranian hackers tied to critical-infrastructure breaches
Four of the five people named in the cyber action were also charged last week in the Justice Department’s expanded Mabna Institute case.
Policy
As US preps for more space launches, WH orders integration with air-traffic control
New space-transportation policy orders Pentagon, NASA, and Transportation to work together as the nation's outdated systems are improved.
Policy
Lawmaker pushes for AI containment language in FRONTIER Act
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam is advocating for a September markup of the landmark AI legislation along with new language following the OpenAI-Hugging Face incident.
Sponsor Content
Unmatched Performance on the Modern Battlefield
Discover the legacy of Patriot missile defense and the technology delivering protection, confidence and reassurance to forces worldwide.
Policy
NSA's non-disclosure agreements lack whistleblower-rights provisions: watchdog
The inspector general report comes as the Trump administration considers imposing a standard NDA across government.
Exclusive
Business
New contract aims to keep Space Force’s multi-billion-dollar projects on budget
Integrate was just for the service’s complicated launch programs. Now, it’s expanding.
Ideas
The wrong way to review US force posture in Europe
Loyalty tests don’t build loyalty. They erode it.
Sponsor Content
From Experimentation to Execution: The State of Agentic AI in the Federal Government
Explore how federal agencies are moving from AI experimentation to deployment and the strategies needed to overcome adoption barriers.
Threats
AI-enabled deception threatens future operations, raises chances of large conflict, says Special Operations leader
“The information environment itself is much less transparent” now than in the past, and AI will make it worse, officials say.
Exclusive
Defense Systems
Golden Dome Caucus chair says building support, funding for missile shield is a ‘tough slog’
Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., told Defense One that funding the war in Iran threatens the missile-defense project.
Voices
Threats
DOJ charges 17 Iranians in cybertheft campaign
Prosecutors say the Mabna Institute stole 31.5 terabytes of academic data and breached email accounts at U.S. agencies and companies.
Science & Tech
What Trump’s tech strategy means for the military, deterring China, and the future of AI
The strategy includes key provisions to encourage innovation—but also has a glaring omission.
Policy
The Russian hurdle in Trump’s new offensive cyber program
The White House wants private companies to help take down cybercriminals overseas. But in Russia, the line between criminal hackers and the government is difficult to draw.
Business
DISA awards Peraton $953M communications infrastructure contract
The Defense Information Systems Agency is emphasizing on-demand communications capabilities for this iteration of the program.
Science & Tech
White House S&T strategy calls for new approaches to safeguard US research
The new guidance is a departure from last year’s National Security Strategy.
Policy
Bill expanding paid leave for feds pared back in Senate
The upper chamber’s version removes provisions allowing the paid family leave to be used in connection with helping a family member who has been the victim of sexual assault, domestic violence, or stalking.
Ideas
CMMC Works. Now let’s sharpen it.
This is not the moment to loosen the standard, writes a former DOD CIO.
Exclusive
Defense Systems
Army’s Apache grounding prompted by deadly Texas crash will end this week, memo says
The service confirmed a transmission problem on the helicopters three months ago. It wasn’t a factor in this crash, an official told Defense One.
Business
Defense firm L3Harris promotes Mehta to CEO in abrupt leadership change
Chris Kubasik, L3Harris’ CEO since June 2021, has left the company following a code of conduct investigation.
Business
The Army gave General Dynamics $533M to build an artillery plant that produced nothing
Instead of making shells, the assembly robots kept failing in bizarre ways—and that's just for starters.
Business
Army picks M1 to lead $10B helicopter-school transformation
The aviation-services firm beat out Bell and Lockheed Martin.
Ideas
New US security entities hint at more Latin American operations
A new task force and coordinating body suggest SOUTHCOM senses a need for cooperation in the region.
Policy
As warfare becomes engineering, the era of the digital mercenary dawns
The White House revives “privateering for the digital age” by authorizing cyber firms to strike foreign targets.
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