Science & Tech
The Obama Administration’s Encryption Views Are All Over the Map
Some government officials are focused on catching criminals, while others worry about empowering hackers.
Threats
Obama Taps New General to Lead Afghan War
Lt. Gen. John Nicholson, an Army Ranger, will become the latest officer to lead the 14-year-old war.
Science & Tech
Refugee or Terrorist? IBM Thinks Its Software Has the Answer
A new tool to turn unstructured data into actionable intelligence could change the way law enforcement fights terrorism, and challenge the data-collection debate.
Science & Tech
ISIS Communications App: Much Ado About Not Much
The group’s “secure messaging app” doesn’t work. Ghost Security Group backtracks on previous claim.
Science & Tech
The Middle East's Quietly Rising Cyber Super Power
Israel now has more than 300 cybersecurity companies, exports totaling $6 billion, and 20 percent of the world’s private cyber investment dollars.
Science & Tech
Look Who's Worried About the NSA's 96 Percent Retention Rate
It might seem counterintuitive that someone maintaining a workforce of 30,000 coders and analysts is concerned about too much loyal talent.
Science & Tech
With Lockheed Deal, Leidos Is Now the Government's Largest IT Provider
The merger creates an IT business with a $10 billion portfolio and contract holdings across every facet of federal government.
Business
What to Watch for in 2016
It’s likely to be an important transitional year for many defense issues as the Obama administration draws to a close.
Defense Systems
Managing the chaos of portable networks
Networks-on-the-go are essential against asymmetric adversaries, but they pose intriguing management challenges.
Defense Systems
Russia's cyber aggression is in European Command's crosshairs
In an update to the theater strategy, Gen. Phillip Breedlove listed deterring Russian aggression as the top priority for the command.
Defense Systems
Creative challenge seeks ways to counter small drones
The Mitre Corp. is running a contest for companies and individuals to demonstrate solutions that can be deployed in urban environments to detect and interdict small UAVs.
Threats
ISIS, Global Threats Boost US Arms Exports
Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor, reported strong export growth, and it’s not alone.
Ideas
That 'Wasteful' Task Force? You're Not Getting the Full Story
In Afghanistan, the Pentagon’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations fostered helpful investment — and pioneered an essential component of future missions.
Policy
When It Comes to Iran, Bernie Sanders Is Less Naive Than You Might Think
In his call to end America’s cold war with Iran, Sanders is challenging the bipartisan foreign-policy consensus in the same way Obama did in 2008.
Threats
From China, an Expansive and Dangerous View of Cyber Deterrence
One military researcher suggests pursuing it in ways that could prove destabilizing.
Defense Systems
Report details the threat of small, commercial drones
A recent report documents the myriad ways non-state groups, from individuals to terrorists to activists, are using unmanned air, ground and maritime systems.
Science & Tech
Russian Scientists May Have Solved One of the Major Barriers to Light-Based Computers
A new cooling method opens a door to optical chips far faster than today’s electronic ones.
Ideas