Defense Systems
Pushback on Trump's DOD union policy hits bipartisan stride
A key Republican lawmaker joined Democratic colleagues in opposing a policy that could spell doom for civilian unions at the Defense Department.
Defense Systems
Thornberry: DOD needs flexible funding for tech investment
The lead Republican for the House's defense committee hopes appropriators will see the wisdom in making funds for buying technology and research more flexible.
Defense Systems
Report: Hackers target defense contractors, telecoms
China spent the year targeting telecommunications infrastructure to feed its spying and IP theft, while Iran shifted to target defense contractors in the latter half of the year.
Science & Tech
A Military-Funded Biosensor Could Be the Future of Pandemic Detection
If it wins FDA approval next year, the two-part sensor could help spot new infections weeks before symptoms begin to show.
Policy
The Biggest Change In a Sanders Administration Might Be a New Definition For ‘Hostilities’
If Sanders sticks with his own precedent in the Senate, he could reshape American military engagement.
Policy
Explainer: The US-Taliban Deal in Afghanistan
What's in the recent agreement between the United States and the Taliban? What might still derail it?
Ideas
The Official Numbers on the Coronavirus Are Wrong, and Everyone Knows It
Because the U.S. data on coronavirus infections are so deeply flawed, the quantification of the outbreak obscures more than it illuminates.
Ideas
How an AI Sent an Early Warning about the Coronavirus Outbreak
BlueDot’s algorithm draws on news stories, disease-tracking networks, and even airline ticketing. But such tools are hardly foolproof.
Ideas
The US Should Send More, Not Fewer, Troops to West Africa
America’s interests and unique security partnerships in this burgeoning region argue for more help, not less.
Policy
Judge: Acting Immigration Services Director Was Unlawfully Appointed
Ken Cuccinelli — also acting DHS secretary — was named acting head of USCIS without having first served in a subordinate position.
Threats
Key Defense Supplier Hit by Ransomware
The hackers also allegedly stole sensitive documents from Visser Precision, which makes parts for Lockheed, Boeing, and SpaceX.
Ideas
The President Is Winning His War on American Institutions
How Trump is destroying the civil service and bending the government to his will.
Threats
US' Afghanistan Drawdown Will Continue Amid Taliban Violence, Pentagon Says
“I would caution everybody to think that there’s going to be an absolute cessation of violence in Afghanistan — that is probably not going to happen,” Milley said.
Ideas
Epidemics Reveal the Truth of the Societies They Hit
A nation’s response to disaster speaks to its strengths—and to its dysfunctions.
Ideas
The World Is Experiencing a New Form of Autocracy
Today’s authoritarians use legal measures to subvert constitutional constraints on their power.
Science & Tech
Acting Navy Secretary: We Need More than 355 Ships, and That’s Not Even Counting Robot Vessels
The Navy needs more human-crewed ships…and more unmanned vessels, than previously thought.
Threats