Defense Systems

Obama expanded cyber offensive against Iran

As soon as he took office, U.S. President Obama authorized increasingly sophisticated attacks against Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities, expanding on efforts begun in the Bush administration to check that country's nuclear efforts.

Defense Systems

Are the US military services in sync for net-enabled warfare?

It might seem as if the Army's strategy for tackling hybrid threats and the Air Force and Navy doctrine for AirSea Battle go off in different directions at a time when strategic synthesis is sorely needed in light of shrinking defense funding, but do they really?

Defense Systems

US needs technologies tailored for Asia-Pacific, Panetta says

The Defense Department needs to develop and acquire new equipment and technologies that are tailored to the Asia-Pacific region as the United States increases its military presence in the region, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said June 1.

Defense Systems

As war winds down, a shakeup lays ahead for the UAV fleet

As the U.S. winds down in Afghanistan, some unmanned aircraft will face sunset while others will endure in the future force, according to a top DOD official.

Defense Systems

How will the US manage a large-scale robot army?

A software provider has developed a system that it believes might one day address the Defense Department's need for a unified command and control system to coordinate the efforts of the U.S. military's rapidly expanding army of ground, sea and air robotic systems.

Defense Systems

Pacific center to serve as prototype of future military health IT

The Defense Department is establishing a new approach to health IT systems in Maui, Hawaii, as a proof-of-concept demonstration for information management and IT products and services to support the Defense Department's medical readiness requirements and modernization needs.

Defense Systems

Iran says Flame virus threatens its national security

The data-mining virus Flame appears to have dug its way into the computers of top Iranian officials in what is likely the most formidable cyber intrusion into Iranian computer systems since the crippling Stuxnet virus attack two years ago.

Defense Systems

Army struggles with key financial data system

Army financial and system managers did not reengineer the Logistics Modernization Program system to perform Procure-to-Pay functions correctly, leaving the program open to fraud and poor bookkeeping.

Defense Systems

What's the buzz about DARPA's Plan X?

The Pentagon's research arm is reaching out to the private sector, universities and computer game makers for assistance developing technologies to boost its offensive cyber capabilities.

Defense Systems

It’s time to make the tough choices on procurement, says deputy secretary

As defense officials try to figure out where to trim costs, the White House offers some advice: Avoid a last-in, first-out approach.

Defense Systems

2012: The year of DOD's mobile network launch?

The Defense Information Systems Agency is building the architecture for the Defense Department's mobile network and expects to have it at least partly up and running by the end of the year.

Defense Systems

US moves to arm Italy's Reaper UAVs

The Obama administration intends to arm about a half dozen Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles owned by Italy with Hellfire missiles and precision-guided munitions.

Defense Systems

Ground sensors that fit in the palm of your hand

As U.S. conventional forces prepare to withdraw completely from Afghanistan by 2014, the U.S. military plans to rely heavily on air and ground sensors to boost intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for Special Operations Forces.

Defense Systems

Pentagon to troops: Caution required when using social media

The Defense Department plans to issue a new policy instructing troops not to use certain identifying information when interacting online that might compromise military units or operations.

Defense Systems

Situational awareness in Afghanistan just got a little easier

U.S. soldiers in the Regional Command South sector of Afghanistan are using a touch-screen, handheld device developed by the Defense Department's research arm that provides them with a wealth of information designed to boost their situational awareness.

Defense Systems

Pentagon could take $500M hit for FCS cancelation

A dozen years after Future Combat Systems was born and three years after it was terminated, the program still bears a hefty price tag.

Defense Systems

Senate defense bill heavily funds ISR, hardens cyber

The Senate's defense bill is $3 billion more than the president's request and doesn't account for the budget cuts of sequestration.

Defense Systems

Taliban goes high tech to plan attacks on US, Afghan government

Taliban fighters are using technologies of the digital age to gain ground against U.S. and Afghan government urban targets in the war-torn country of Afghanistan. But allied forces are not taking the planned attacks lying down.

Defense Systems

DARPA wants algorithms that filter text for intel analysis

DARPA is asking potential industry partners to assist it in developing and refining computer algorithms and systems to help intelligence analysts pull so-called actionable information out of large amounts of text.

Defense Systems

Army, contractors step up efforts to field small armed UAVs

The Army and its industry partners are stepping up efforts to field tactical unmanned aircraft systems that can strike enemy targets.