Science & Tech

Fight Deepfakes with Cyberweapons and Sanctions, Experts Tell Congress

Social media companies and the federal government must help fight hyper-realistic misinformation, witnesses told the House Intelligence Committee.

Defense Systems

Defense bill calls for DOD to fast-track certain software buys

A provision in the defense bill moving through the House of Representatives calls for the Pentagon to authorize a new fast track for software acquisition, with an eye to upgrading vulnerable weapons systems.

Business

How L3 Technologies Is Culture-Shifting Its Way into the Industry’s Top Tier

Over the past 18 months, the company has overhauled its structure and various modus operandi.

Threats

How the Climate Crisis Threatens the US Energy System

The U.S. military is the largest customer of the U.S. electricity grid, and other insights from a two-day workshop convened by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ideas

Europe's Elections Suggest US Shouldn’t Be Complacent in 2020

The lesson is not that elections are secure, but that Russian and other subversives are choosy about when and how they engage.

Ideas

Deterrence Is Failing — Partly Because Iran Has No Idea What the US Really Wants

Successful deterrence requires clear delineation of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. That needs to start, pronto.

Ideas

Vetting Foreigners’ Facebook Feeds Won’t Make Americans Safer

The federal government wants visa applicants to cough up their social-media handles.

Defense Systems

OTAs get more scrutiny in House defense bill

Lawmakers seek annual reporting requirements to get insight into how the Defense Department uses other transaction agreements.

Defense Systems

NDAA pushes DOD-VA cooperation on health record modernization

The $20 billion health record modernization efforts at the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are going to be joined a little more closely under an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

Threats

US Blames Tanker Attacks On Iran; CENTCOM Releases Surveillance Video

Military officials say imagery shows Iranians in boats at the tankers, handling a mine and trying to capture crew members.

Ideas

Trump’s Efforts at Election Tampering Are Growing Bolder

Having exploited foreign assistance in 2016 and gotten away with it, the president is already trying it again in the 2020 race.

Science & Tech

Telegram: Hackers in China Disrupted Service During Hong Kong Protests

Bogus signals inundated an encrypted-messaging service that helped demonstrators coordinate, the company says.

Defense Systems

HASC passes $733 billion defense authorization bill

The House defense committee debated into the early morning, pushing the 20-hour mark before sending its version of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act for a full House vote.

Threats

These Are the US Military Bases Most Threatened by Climate Change

The belated lists arrived just ahead of a GAO report that says the Pentagon is failing to use climate projections in planning.