Threats
No Climate Event in 2,000 Years Compares to What’s Happening Now
While parts of the world have warmed or cooled in the past, modern climate change is happening just about everywhere at the same time.
Defense Systems
NDAA heads to conference after budget deal
Despite a tentative two-year budget deal, House leaders are preparing for a tough conference to reconcile differences with the Senate's version of the National Defense Authorization Act.
Business
US Air Force Has Withheld $360M — and Counting — For Boeing’s Tanker Woes
That’s about one-fifth of the total bill for the 13 aircraft delivered so far.
Threats
New Defense Secretary Immediately Faced With Challenges In Iran, UK
Esper takes the reins at the Pentagon just days after Iran seized a British-flagged tanker—and amid an ongoing rift with the U.S.’s closest ally.
Policy
NSA Launches Cybersecurity Directorate
The group is charged with defending the country’s national security infrastructure and defense contractors against digital threats.
Ideas
Should Cyber Arms Be Treated Like Bioweapons?
A recent paper suggests that the two are more closely related under international law than previously thought. But the analogy, while useful, is not exact.
Ideas
The Arguments for Weakening Encryption Aren't Any Better Under Trump
Law-enforcement backdoors would still make everyone less safe, even as U.S. officials set their sights on broader access to data.
Science & Tech
How AI Will Help Radar Detect Tiny Drones 3 Kilometers Away
Small drones are becoming a big problem. Here’s how next-generation neural networking techniques could help.
Business
Has Lockheed Replaced Boeing as Trump’s Favorite Defense Firm?
The U.S. president and Lockheed’s CEO have been cheering each other on, while Boeing's chief has kept a lower profile.
Threats
Esper Confirmed As Defense Secretary, Despite Opposition from Some 2020 Dems
Tuesday's 90-8 vote ends the longest period in history that the Defense Department has gone without a confirmed leader.
Defense Systems
Senate confirms Esper as new Defense secretary
With conflict increasing between the U.S. and Iran, Mark Esper's confirmation brings some order to a seven-month round of musical chairs among the Defense Department's top leadership.
Ideas
Iran Is Acting Like the International Villain of Trump’s Prophecy
Any number of relatively mundane scenarios now have the potential to escalate U.S.-Iran tensions—from a fire at a militia base to the seizure of an oil tanker to the signal-jamming of a drone.
Ideas
How Smaller States are Choosing Sides in the Indian Ocean
From Sri Lanka to Kenya, governments try to balance major-power influence — except in arms purchases.
Ideas
Trump Says US Troops Shouldn’t Be ‘Policemen’ in Afghanistan. So Why Are They There?
In a puzzling Oval Office press conference, the commander-in-chief throws his purported strategy into doubt.
Defense Systems
For the military, is 5G worth the hype?
The potential of 5G telecommunications technology has garnered new attention and focus from the Defense Department, but it may not be that big of a deal for military tech.
Ideas
Where’s the Coverage of Civilian Casualties in the War on ISIS?
New studies reveal important gaps in coverage of this aspect of the anti-ISIS operation, largely a war of air strikes.
Ideas
Ep. 49: Cyberwarfare tomorrow
This episode, we turn to the future world of cyberwarfare — from life after encryption to the 5G debate, from the next election to the next generation of cyber professionals, and a lot more.
Ideas