Science & Tech

We’re On the Same Side, Carter Tells Silicon Valley

As the FBI-vs.-Apple battle heats up, the defense secretary makes his own pitch to the tech industry.

Policy

Where the 2016 Candidates Stand on National Security

The Council on Foreign Relations drew on speeches, debates, and campaign websites, as well as open source media to compile where the candidates stand on Syria, Guantanamo, NSA surveillance and more.

Defense Systems

Air Force steps up the competition for a new rocket engine

Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Services join two other companies in developing prototypes to replace the Russian-made RD-180 engine.

Threats

The Battle for Mosul Has Begun

ISIS is under air, ground, and cyber attack as Iraqi and coalition troops encircle the group’s final stronghold in Iraq, the Joint Chiefs chairman says.

Ideas

When It Comes to Tech and Terrorism, the Government Is Asking for the Wrong Kind of Help

There are many ways the tech industry can help turn up the heat on terrorists without compromising the rest of us.

Defense Systems

Army picks 17 companies for $5B ITES-3H contract

The contract for hardware, software and related services will run into February 2021.

Defense Systems

Carter looking to drop 'cyber bombs' on ISIS

The Defense secretary, while offering few details, said DOD is looking to limit the group's command and control capabilities and overload its networks.

Defense Systems

Army wants lightweight weapons for UAS

The service is looking for small guided munitions to be outfitted on unmanned aerial systems, though it's not saying which UAS would use them.

Defense Systems

Army awards new deal for Manpack radios

Harris Corp. gets a maximum $12.7 million contract to supply the two-channel, software-defined radios.

Ideas

When the Enemy Is Everywhere: The Rise and Fall of the 'Kill Box' in US Military Strategy

Once a hallmark of state-on-state conflict, simply finding oneself inside of an American kill box in today's counterterrorism wars is enough to be retroactively defined as guilty.

Business

Obama's Security Clearance Overhaul Lands with a Thud Before Lawmakers

The plan, which tasks the Pentagon with safeguarding new investigations, appears to just be 'window dressing on a broken home.'

Ideas

Don't Fall for Obama's $3 Billion Arms Buildup at Russia's Door

There is no Russian resurgence. Washington is playing on your Cold War fears to get you to pay for something the U.S. does not need and can’t afford.

Defense Systems

Army immerses soldiers in a virtual reality dome

Natick researchers’ new VR dome will help study the impacts of real-world operational situations on soldiers’ cognitive abilities and performance.

Defense Systems

China's new radar installation raises the stakes in Pacific

The installation, along with other activities, changes the operational landscape in the South China Sea, the Navy and analysts warn.

Science & Tech

FBI Head: Apple is Taking Us To a 'Different World'

FBI warns that the world that Apple is making is one where the FBI can’t do its job. Apple says the FBI is seeking 'dangerous power.' Who’s right?

Ideas

Congress Will Rethink Combatant Command Boundaries

Reshaping, or even deleting, some of the four-star headquarters that run America’s military operations around the world could be part of broader Defense Department reforms.

Ideas

America's 'Plan B' for Syria Has a Very Ugly Past

Dividing Middle Easterners along ethno-religious lines has a deeply troubled history. There's little reason to believe similar 'last-ditch' plans for Syria would be any different.