Science & Tech
The Pentagon’s AI Shop Takes A Venture Capital Approach to Funding Tech
The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center will take a Series A, B, approach to building tech for customers, with product managers and mission teams.
Ideas
Don’t Let On-Site Inspections Go Extinct
In-person visits to foreign military bases and weapons facilities improve national security in more ways than meet the eye.
Science & Tech
Russian and Chinese Satellites Are Helping US Pilots Spy on Russia and China
U-2 pilots are wearing watches that connect to foreign satellites, giving them backup navigation when GPS is jammed.
Policy
As Taliban Attack, Esper and Milley Downplay 'Mixed' Results of Peace Deal
Joint Chiefs chairman argued before Congress that the Taliban’s “small low-level” attacks on Afghan forces don't violate their four-day-old agreement with the United States.
Ideas
The US Has Abandoned Its Leadership on Land Mines, and For What?
Defense Secretary Mark Esper says new land mines are needed to “ensure mission success” and “reduce risk to our forces.” What success? What forces?
Business
F-35 Factory in Japan Shuts Down Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
An F-35 plant in Italy has also been affected by virus-related restrictions.
Policy
Exclusive: House Bill Tries To Force Trump To Keep Troops In Africa
The legislation from Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., raises constitutional concerns but might still be a useful messaging tool for lawmakers.
Defense Systems
Diverted border wall funding may impact weapons testing
The White House has diverted billions of Pentagon dollars for border wall funding at the cost of a new information systems facility at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
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