Defense Systems
Army looks to put ground-penetrating radar on drones
Mounted on unmanned aerial and land vehicles, the lightweight radar-on-a-chip technology could expand the military's ability to map the shapes, sizes and features of objects in the environment.
Ideas
Russia Is Turning Up Its Nuclear Rhetoric. That’s a Problem
U.S. and NATO officials have an interest in steering Russian bluster away from its rising focus on nuclear weapons.
Defense Systems
FY 2020 budget would slash JRSS procurement spend
The Joint Regional Security Stacks program’s buying budget could be cut in half to $88 million.
Ideas
Why Germany Should Further Boost Defense Spending, and Why It Probably Won’t
Also: why the Trump administration should shut up about it.
Ideas
A Technological Path Out of the Missile-Defense Security Dilemma
As boost-phase defenses become viable, they could reduce the destabilizing effects of longer-ranged defenses on great-power relationships.
Science & Tech
Cyber Spending Would Rise $17B Under 2020 Request
More than half would go to the Defense Department to bolster defenses and expand offensive capabilities.
Business
Air Force One: New Estimate Bumps Total Cost By Nearly One-Third
The $5.3 billion price tag is the Pentagon’s first public accounting to include the new hangars and various other costs.
Policy
French MOD Rebukes Trump Administration for Arms-Sales Focus
“NATO’s solidarity clause is called Article 5, not Article F-35,” French armed forces minister Florence Parly said Monday.
Defense Systems
Machine learning on the fly
The Real-Time Machine Learning Grand Challenge aims to create processors that can interpret and learn from data in real-time with the energy efficiency of the human brain.
Ideas
The USAF Shouldn’t Narrow Competition for Its Satellite Launches
The service’s plan to reduce launch-contract eligibility from three providers to two would reduce incentives to innovate and keep costs down.
Defense Systems
How a single update to acquisition law can support cloud adoption
Government desperately needs a better way to buy cloud services. The Section 809 panel's call to create a new contract type for consumption-based solutions is a great start.
Policy
Trying to Kill the Iran Deal Could End Up Saving It
Trump administration officials are publicly united on their policy of punishing the Islamic Republic. But cracks are showing over just how far to go.
Ideas
The US and North Korea Are Back to Talking Tough
Pyongyang’s latest threats don’t necessarily mean diplomacy is dead. But they are a sign of just how deadlocked nuclear talks have become.
Threats
No One Wants to Help Bashar al-Assad Rebuild Syria
The Syrian president appears comfortably in power, but his supporters in Moscow can’t afford to pay for reconstruction; his adversaries in the West can, but won’t.
Ideas
Who Are the Private Contractors Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan?
An inside look at this invisible military force.
Business
Lockheed Martin is Waging War on Boeing’s F-15EX
The F-35 maker sees the Pentagon’s plans to buy new F-15s for the first time in 19 years as a threat.
Defense Systems