Defense Systems

How technology has changed intelligence collection

Advancements have enabled signals intelligence to supersede relying on human sources in the field, but progress has come with shortcomings of its own.

Defense Systems

Squid-inspired 'invisibility stickers' provide night-vision camo

Researchers make a tape that could render soldiers invisible under infrared light.

Defense Systems

DARPA wants to plumb the depths of an underwater Internet

The agency is looking for technologies to expand high-bandwidth communications and networking below the surface.

Policy

How Vladimir Putin Weaponized Russia's Media

After decades of wielding Soviet-style hard power, Moscow is developing a subtler form of influence.

Policy

The Senator Who Might Scuttle NSA Reform

Without the backing of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, the USA Freedom Act will likely stall in the Senate, where last year it fell two votes short.

Business

Defense Contractors Unsatisfied with Thornberry's Acquisition Bill

A contractor's trade group representing some 400 companies say Rep. Mac Thornberry's acquisition reform bill further complicates an already complicated process.

Science & Tech

These Robots Are Stranded Inside a Nuclear Disaster

This month, a Tokyo utility company sent two specially-designed robots on an ill-fated mission into the Fukushima nuclear disaster site to assess the damage.

Science & Tech

Marines Testing Piggyback Hunter Drones

A marriage of one unmanned rover and one flying drone is the “next level” in battlefield autonomy.

Ideas

Intelligence Reform 2.0

Here are six ways to make sure America’s leaders and troops get the intel they need.

Ideas

It's Time To Figure Out What Putin Wants

Russian President Vladimir Putin is neither lunatic nor fanatic. He has become a more dangerous phenomenon: a believer in a cause.

Defense Systems

Army awards $36M deal for tactical communications support

General Dynamics will produce and repair components of the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 1 network.

Defense Systems

Navy gets two more underwater mine-hunting drones

Bluefin Robotics delivers the fourth and fifth UUVs ordered under a $15 million contract.

Science & Tech

NSA Chief: Rules of War Apply to Cyberwar, Too

In the tightly controlled discussion about cyber weapons, this counts as a step toward transparency.

Science & Tech

Do Killer Robots Violate Human Rights?

To confidently say whether a ban on tomorrow's 'killer robots' is defensible or not, we need to better clarify the notions of human control and autonomy.

Policy

One of the Most Damaging Myths of American Foreign Policy

U.S. leaders should bear in mind that imposing sanctions and threatening war rarely strengthen human rights. Oftentimes, it's the reverse.

Science & Tech

China Is Building a $46B Railroad Through Pakistan's Insurgency

A new 1,500-mile network of highways, rails and oil pipelines will run through one of the world’s most dangerous regions, Pakistan’s volatile Balochistan province.

Science & Tech

The Russian Weapon That Could Tip The Balance in the Middle East

Moscow’s recent decision to ship the very mobile and lethal S-300 missile system to Iran is a big deal for these three reasons.