Defense Systems

DARPA wants to turn large planes into aircraft carriers for UAS

The agency is looking for ideas on how to adapt aircraft such as a C-130 or B-52 to enable small unmanned aircraft to go on long-range missions.

Defense Systems

What Defense agencies can do with 'big geospatial data'

All that data collected every day can be overwhelming, but there are ways to make efficient use of it, Thermopylae’s A.J. Clack writes.

Defense Systems

Can derived credentials replace CACs? What you need to know

The need for them is real, but there are still a few details to be worked out, say Intel Corp.'s Kevin Fiftal and Steve Taylor.

Ideas

Here's What Has Been Done To Improve Military Relations With China

Recent progress and cooperation between U.S. and Chinese navies is encouraging. By Vice Adm. Robert Thomas

Ideas

What Congress Can Do To Restore the Balance of Power With China

Congress needs to focus on China and stop relying on the Pentagon and think tanks. By Rep. J. Randy Forbes

Ideas

Straight Talk on the South China Sea

If the U.S. really cares about China’s territorial claims, now is the time to say it. By Vikram Singh and Ely Ratner

Policy

Stung at Home, Obama Embarks on His Longest Foreign Trip

The president will spend 10 days in Asia, where leaders know all about his domestic political weakness. By George Condon Jr.

Business

Hagel Approval Rating Just 26 Percent Among National Security Workers, Troops

Defense Secretary Hagel’s logs a rock-bottom approval rating among his own workers as Obama reportedly considers cabinet shakeup. By Gordon Lubold

Policy

In Foreign Policy Debates Ahead, Look to Echoes of 2006

The 2006 midterm elections were a disaster for Bush, but also a chance to shake things up. Will 2014 follow the same script? By Janine Davidson and Emerson Brooking

Threats

Obama Doubles Number of Troops for Iraq Mission to 3,000

The Obama administration is reevaluating the operation against ISIL in Iraq, where months of air strikes there and in neighboring Syria have seen little effect. By Stephanie Gaskell

Policy

Now the GOP Must Choose: Mass Surveillance or Privacy?

Before May, the new Congress must choose between endorsing or ending NSA spying on the phone calls of virtually every American. By Conor Friedersdorf

Ideas

3 Ways Obama Expanded War Powers Well Beyond George W. Bush

Here are three precedents set by the Obama administration that make it even easier to use lethal force abroad without congressional approval. By Conor Friedersdorf

Threats

Has Russia Invaded Ukraine Again?

A convoy of tanks and trucks reportedly crossed the border into Luhansk, threatening a new escalation in the region. By Dashiell Bennett

Defense Systems

Army lab developing small drone with insect-like vision

The palm-sized UAV is a step toward autonomous platforms that can work with small units and individual soldiers.

Defense Systems

Boeing claims new anti-jam capability

A new tactical waveform demonstrated by the satellite maker could be used in existing terminals and satellites.

Threats

Pentagon Counter-IED Group Heads to Iraq as Attacks Surge

The Joint IED Defeat Organization will deploy to Baghdad help stop roadside bomb attacks, but will have to rely on Iraqi soldiers to disable and destroy bombs. By Marcus Weisgerber

Science & Tech

How Can Technology Fight Ebola in Off-the-Grid West Africa?

Leveraging technology to combat Ebola in West Africa was always going to be an uphill fight. By Jack Moore

Ideas

How the US Can Turn the GCC Into a Lasting Military Alliance

The Islamic State has achieved one thing: it got the GCC to agree on something. Now, can the U.S. make it last? By Melissa G. Dalton

Business

VA Secretary Says He’s Moving Fast To Remove Bad Employees

VA Secretary Bob McDonald is defending his commitment to holding employees accountable and firing them when necessary. By Kellie Lunney