Ideas
ISIS Sees Opportunity as Syria’s Rebellion Falls
Religious extremists will try to inherit the energy of the all-but-defeated rebellion, just as they did in Iraq after the surge.
Science & Tech
SpaceX: We’ll Consider Launching Space Weapons If Asked
Elon Musk’s rocket startup says it might join the space arms race.
Science & Tech
Retired Marine Four-Star Patents Jet-Killing Drone Boat
John Allen also has a patent on a quadcopter mothership.
Threats
Congress’s Quantum Science Bill May Not Keep the US Military Ahead of China
China aims to “leapfrog” US military in 10 years with unhackable computers and stealth-defeating radar.
Defense Systems
Air Force may launch RCO for cyber
The U.S. Air Force is considering a rapid capabilities office to streamline cybersecurity acquisition.
Policy
Air Force Pushes Back on Pentagon’s First Blueprints for Trump’s Space Force
In a pointed memo, Heather Wilson counters several Space Force proposals championed by Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.
Ideas
Trump Is Repeating Soviet Leaders’ Intel Mistakes
Stalin ignored his spies when their findings contradicted his assumptions. Now the U.S. president is doing the same.
Ideas
The World Waits for Putin to Stop Assad. He Won't
As Assad begins an assault on Idlib, the last rebel stronghold, the world has fooled itself into thinking Russia will intervene.
Policy
On the Campaign Trail for NATO, With Secretary General Stoltenberg
The former Norwegian prime minister tells Defense One that dissent is good, questions are welcome, and they’re making the alliance stronger than ever.
Defense Systems
Who's minding the store on DOD-VA health systems collaboration?
As the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs work in parallel to implement the Cerner health record systems, Congress is worried about a single point of accountability.
Defense Systems
Debate building around $10B JEDI procurement
Concerns around the Defense Department’s management of services for the pending Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure bubble up as award protests mount.
Ideas
The Secret to Effective Foreign Aid? Sometimes, It’s Giving Cash
For the first time, USAID compared a traditional intervention to a simple cash transfer.
Defense Systems
CYBERCOM building up in-house acquisition capacity
U.S. Cyber Command's contracting office is in its "infancy" with a handful of staff and is looking to expand while showing Congress it knows what it's doing.
Ideas
Ep. 20: Jeffrey Lewis on nuclear war; Loren DeJonge Schulman; the Houthi 'war machine' and more.
Welcome to our podcast about the news, strategy, tech, and business trends defining the future of national security.
Ideas
