Ideas
To China, DeepSeek is more than an app—it's a strategic turning point
Beijing views the AI tool as a breakthrough that reinforces its strategic autonomy and reshapes the U.S.-China balance of power.
Policy
As Defense preps for mass firings, Hegseth says a hiring freeze and more firings are coming
SecDef says a "reevaluation of our probationary workforce" will be followed by wider dismissal of "redundancies" and "underperformers."
Science & Tech
Pentagon may break up tech offices in acquisition-policy shift
Shakeup may also consolidate service PEO functions and put more R&D costs on industry, a Pentagon source says.
Threats
Lawmakers to DOGE: Use a scalpel, not a sledgehammer at the Pentagon
Cutting first and asking questions later could hurt national security, HASC members say.
Threats
Ukraine’s ‘super soldiers’ bust stereotypes of what ‘lethal’ looks like
The Ukrainian battlefield has also forced a rethinking of the role of tanks, experts say
Business
Musk is helping remove ‘constraints’ to speed up Air Force One delivery: Boeing CEO
The company has lost billions on the presidential jets, which are years behind schedule.
Policy
Hegseth seeks to shift $50 billion in FY26 budget proposal
Money for “so-called ‘climate change’ and other woke programs” would move to Trump priorities.
Science & Tech
Microsoft-DARPA collaboration yields possible quantum chip breakthrough
A better way to check and store qubits could enable big applications for smarter drones, better processing, and doing much more with less.
Business
This robot-ship startup wants to bet ‘billions’ on a new kind of shipyard
Austin-based Saronic plans to build Port Alpha, a manufacturing plant for large and medium uncrewed surface vehicles.
Policy
Stop treating shipyards like the ‘corner garage': former Navy acquisitions chief
Shorter, more frequent, better-planned availabilities are needed to reach the Navy's 80%-deployability goal, Guertin said.
Policy
Uncertainty mounts at Space Development Agency as Air Force IG prepares probe
The unexpected sidelining of its director raises questions about the future of the satellite-acquisition “constructive disruptor.”
Policy
Trump administration fires hundreds of nuclear-security employees, sources say
The National Nuclear Security Administration maintains the nuclear stockpile, counters terrorism, disposes of dangerous nuclear material, among other missions.
Policy
Pentagon officials are bracing for Musk's DOGE
SecDef hints at pushback, but others worry about the team's record of breaking into databases and making hasty cuts.
Threats
China is rehearsing for war, Indo-Pacific commander says
Recent Chinese military exercises around Taiwan are practice for “the forced unification” of the island to the mainland, Adm. Sam Paparo said Thursday.
Business