Policy

Graham: I Told Turkey They Can Avoid Sanctions If They Don’t Activate Russian Radar

Sen. Lindsay Graham says President Trump asked him to make the call.

Threats

FBI Director Names China the Nation's Most ‘Severe Counterintelligence Threat’

Russia also shows no signs of stopping its election interference efforts ahead of 2020, Christopher Wray told lawmakers.

Defense Systems

Marines test AI, autonomous systems for battlefield intel

The technology allows infantry squads to tap into networked sensors, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems to make better decisions in complex, time-critical combat situations.

Ideas

The Future of Conflict is Proxy Warfare, Again

A new CNA study offers seven lessons from America’s experience with supporting one side from afar.

Business

Boeing: $85B Competition to Build New ICBMs Favors Northrop Grumman

The company says it will sit out if the U.S. Air Force does not change the bidding parameters.

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.

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.