Ideas
How a MAGA influencer with ties to Russia became Trump’s Arctic adviser
As Thomas Dans holds forth in the U.S. and abroad, it’s not always clear where the administration’s agenda ends and his own begins.
Science & Tech
NGA official takes top AI job at Cyber Command
Ronzelle Green succeeds Reid Novotny, who pushed the combatant command to embrace the technology.
Threats
‘It was time’ to admit US has weapons in orbit, Space Force’s new leader says
Russian and Chinese advances led to the revelation, Gen. Douglas Schiess says at AFA.
Threats
Iran strikes exposed gaps in medical evacuation ops across Middle East: IG
Medical professionals have long warned that drones would cause higher U.S. battlefield casualties. A new Inspector General report shows the military is still scrambling to meet that challenge.
Sponsor Content
The Readiness Advantage - Operational Certainty at Machine Speed: Harnessing Agentic AI for Mission Assurance
Discover how agentic AI helps defense leaders anticipate readiness risks, break down data silos, and accelerate mission critical decisions with confidence.
Defense Systems
US military has ‘on-orbit’ space weapons, Air Force Secretary reveals
Experts said the acknowledgment may lead to overt action by China, Russia.
Business
Lockheed’s Skunk Works plans to build four more of its multirole combat drones
The firm’s top secret research arm shared new Vectis images, but few key details.
Ideas
Cold comfort
A Polish naval commando walks into a bar…in the latest Fictional Intelligence column.
Sponsor Content
From Experimentation to Execution: The State of Agentic AI in the Federal Government
How ready is the federal government for agentic AI? Explore the latest adoption trends, barriers, and strategies in our new report.
Science & Tech
Russia is weaponizing US-built AI to make killer drones, cyberattack bots, and fake news
AI companies are sounding alarms, but the Trump administration isn’t acting on them.
Science & Tech
‘Digital employees’ are coming to the Defense Logistics Agency
Nearly 200 agentic-AI bots are already running autonomously as the combat support agency pushes ahead with AI-powered tools, CIO says.
Threats
25 years after 9/11, spy agencies face old lessons and new threats
Former intelligence officials describe a nation better equipped to disrupt terrorist plots, but still wrestling with the costs.
Voices
Ideas
The Pentagon is using polygraphs to hunt leakers, but the tests are more theater than fact
My 27-year career with the CIA makes me wary of the certainty their use can appear to convey.
Policy
US absent as western powers meet on wartime protections for civilians
A multinational group meets this week at NATO headquarters in Belgium to discuss protections for civilians during combat. Even though the U.S. co-founded this effort, no American delegation will be in the room.
Policy
‘We have to throw technology at the cyber problem,’ Pentagon CIO says
DOD must use “the fantastically skilled people that we have in a much more effective way,” Kirsten Davies said.
Policy
Top Air and Space Force leaders will gather amid unresolved Iran war, budget uncertainty
The Joint Chiefs chairman, Space Force’s new leader, and the NASA administrator are all scheduled to speak at next week’s Air and Space Force Association conference.
Science & Tech
AI-powered biowarfare is coming; the Army lays plans to ‘fight through’ it
A new strategy aims to prepare to “deploy, fight, and win decisively in a bio-contested environment” by 2035.
Science & Tech
Maven is becoming the Pentagon’s everything app
MSS has replaced “six, eight, ten” systems that the military used to analyze data, AI chief says.
Science & Tech
NSA wants AI to help analysts sift vast data troves
Tasks that take days or weeks will be done "much faster," says the agency’s cybersecurity chief.
Science & Tech
CIA cyber intelligence helped US forces capture Maduro, deputy director says
The agency’s Center for Cyber Intelligence built a “flawless intelligence picture,” Michael Ellis said.
Threats
China is trying to steal US AI models' secrets, intel agencies warn
NSA, FBI, and CISA cite “aggressive, malicious, and targeted" distillation tactics.
Science & Tech
USAF speed up Reaper replacement after heavy losses in Iran
The Massed Modular Aircraft program envisions a $10M airframe—plus sensor and system costs.
Threats
July’s breakout at OpenAI was far more complex than initially realized
Hundreds of AI agents collaborated to escape their containers, disguising their actions and even sacrificing themselves.
Business
Back to life: How Shield AI’s future unmanned fighter made decades-old tech new again
The original GE Aerospace engine nozzle, designed for the F-16, is key to building a vertical takeoff robotic jet prototype.
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