Defense Systems

What to expect from Shanahan's DOD

The leadership personnel shuffle at the Pentagon has outside observers focused on budget, acquisition and business reforms.

Business

Pentagon Owns Fewer Buildings Than Previously Thought: Audit

The Navy was counting buildings that were demolished and the Army was counting uninhabitable facilities on the books.

Ideas

Why Trump Is Trying to Create a Crisis

The president didn’t declare a state of national emergency on Tuesday night, but he laid the foundation for doing so.

Policy

In Primetime Addresses, Trump and Democrats Show No Progress Toward Ending Shutdown

Both sides highlight federal employees, but for very different reasons.

Threats

As The Arctic Warms, US Navy Considering Summer Transit, Bering Sea Port

The Navy secretary says his service must be ready to answer Russian moves at the top of the world.

Science & Tech

Russia: Expect a National AI Roadmap by Midyear

Moscow is starting to put financial and logistical muscle behind its efforts to develop artificial intelligence.

Ideas

Moscow’s Little-Noticed Islamic-Outreach Effort

Russia is promoting Islamic moderation in unison with Arab powers—and further cementing its position in the Middle East.

Ideas

Why China’s Military Wants to Beat the US to a Next-Gen Cell Network

For Beijing, the race to 5G has always been linked to its national strategy for military-civil fusion.

Defense Systems

DARPA looks to guard the air gap

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is looking for security that can better track and protect sensitive data as it moves from highly secure systems to insecure ones.

Defense Systems

Amazon gets a win JEDI court battle

Amazon Web Services was able to successfully block an effort by Oracle to have its in-house counsel included in information protected under a court order.

Ideas

The US Isn’t Really Leaving Syria and Afghanistan

Even if American troops come home in a timely fashion, they will likely return before long.

Business

Defense Companies Starting to Feel Effect of US Government Shutdown

Firms working for NASA, DHS, and other shuttered federal agencies are taking hits to their cash flow.

Policy

Can Pat Shanahan Serve as ‘Acting’ Defense Secretary Forever?

The law is unclear, and the situation all but unprecedented.

Policy

Will the Government Ever Reopen?

After a contentious meeting with lawmakers, President Trump said the government could stay closed “for a very long period of time,” and mused about declaring a state of emergency.

Ideas

Democrats Are Wrong About Defense Spending

The need for investment is only likely to grow in the coming years.

Ideas

The Truth About the Soviet War in Afghanistan

Trump mischaracterized it in an attempt to justify his own disastrous policy in the region.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Seeks a List of Ethical Principles for Using AI in War

An advisory board is drafting guidelines that may help shape worldwide norms for military artificial intelligence — and woo Silicon Valley to defense work.