Science & Tech
Innovation needs to go more than skin-deep at the Pentagon, advisory board says
Mid-tier leaders aren’t properly rewarded for risk, the Defense Innovation Board finds.
Threats
Questions surround Russia's stealthy combat drone
Publicly unveiled in 2019, an early version of the Sukhoi-made Okhotnik-B has already made its combat debut in Ukraine.
Defense Systems
How one Army unit uses cheap drones and ChatGPT to train others in modern warfare
Some lessons are basic: don’t name your field HQ’s WiFi “command post.”
Defense Systems
The Pentagon’s IT agency is crafting its very own AI-chatbot
The Alexa-type bot would help answer simple queries like “how to get a new laptop,” the agency’s chief tech officer said.
Threats
Northrop to eat $1.2B on B-21 program
The CEO says the company has now learned not to underbid on fixed-price contracts.
Ideas
In Norway, young people compete to serve in the military
Other countries mulling wider national service plans should learn about the Norwegian model.
Ideas
Domestic woes put Kim Jong Un on the defensive – and the offensive
Kim aims to reach beyond North Korea to U.S. politicians and the South Korean public.
Defense Systems
The Pentagon’s latest connect-everything experiment shows progress, chief says
December's JADC2 experiment produced “a new set of connections across multiple data fabrics and applications,” said DOD’s deputy chief data and artificial intelligence officer.
Business
The race is on to prepare Australia for nuclear subs
“There has been a hiatus where we weren’t all paying attention. Now we’ve got to catch up,” a UK shipbuilding exec says.
Science & Tech
Air Force sticking with Sentinel despite huge cost breach, officials say
The ICBM program is now expected to cost 37 percent more than previous projections.
Policy
Inside Space Force's budget priorities and spending patterns
In the past 12 months, the youngest service has awarded contracts worth an estimated $11.9 billion.
Science & Tech
In a first, Army uses Slack-style battlefield software to coordinate field exercises
The ATAK app enables soldiers to mark enemies and send texts—just as their Ukrainian counterparts are doing.
Ideas
Foreign interference in U.S. elections isn’t old news
False narratives, new technologies, and the potential for political violence are intensifying an already fraught election cycle.
Policy
Drones, armor lead new efforts by Ukraine’s foreign backers
The Pentagon-led Ukrainian Defense Contact Group seeks to keep Kyiv “ahead of the curve.”
Business
Software delay will reduce F-35 deliveries for a second straight year
Lockheed says the TR-3 upgrade, due last year, has slipped to third quarter of 2024.
Defense Systems
Feds to compete for cyber glory at fifth annual President's Cup
CISA officials say the annual cybersecurity game aims to highlight the cyber-talented and educate the rest.
Ideas
