Threats

ISIL Is Taking Iraq's Black Gold to the Black Market

The narrative of a ruthlessly managed, financially savvy rebel group just got a new chapter. By Steve LeVine

Ideas

How to Fix the Government's Security Clearance Mess

We need to continuously monitor who has top secret clearance. Here’s how. By Steve Nguyen

Policy

Special Operations Commander Says Burden On Elite Troops Is Here to Stay

Obama’s nominee to command special operations troops said more should be done to help alleviate the stresses on families of more than 13 years of frontline combat. By Ben Watson

Threats

When Millennials Intifada: The New Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Today's young adults see the fighting -- and chance for peace -- much differently than their elders. By Jeff Moskowitz

Threats

Hagel Declares ISIL Clear and 'Imminent Threat’ To U.S.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warns Americans – and skeptical lawmakers – that the extremists carving up Iraq and Syria threaten ‘every stabilized country on Earth.’ By Ben Watson

Defense Systems

Chinese hackers hit federal employee database

OPM, which manages security clearance investigations for federal workers and the military, was attacked in March.

Defense Systems

A prosthetic for the brain could restore a soldier’s lost memory

DARPA and two university teams are working to develop brain implants that restore memory in patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

Defense Systems

ARL finds new ways to measure the fog of war

To build a better smoke grenade, the Army’s EETRANS can measure how obscurants transmit visual, infrared waves.

Defense Systems

DOD’s biometric terrorist ID upgrade ready for another close-up

Version 1.2 of ABIS, which proved lacking in tests last year, passes one round of tests and moves on to the next stage.

Science & Tech

The Air Force May Have Already Developed Its New Long-Range Bomber

A recent report to Congress suggests the Pentagon's replacement for its aging bomber fleet is all but ready for production. By Bob Brewin

Threats

'Compromise' May Return Chemical Weapons Facilities Back to Assad

Officials in Washington are nervous over a proposal to return some of Syria's underground chemical weapons facilities back to the Assad regime. By Diane Barnes

Threats

Obama Requests Drone Surge for U.S.-Mexico Border

President Obama has requested an escalation of aerial surveillance along the border with Mexico -- including 16 more drone crews at a cost of nearly $40 million. By Aliya Sternstein

Policy

Gen. Abizaid-Led Panel Sounds Alarm on U.S. Drones

It's time Obama rethinks drones when a group like this criticizes the precedents and dangers of targeted killings. By Conor Friedersdorf

Ideas

NATO Must Stop ISIL Before It’s Too Late

NATO’s road to Iraq runs through Turkey, then Washington—if the alliance really wants to bring an end to ISIL. By Philip Seib

Defense Systems

12 battlefield tools of the future Marine

The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory this week is testing a variety of new technologies and gear at its Advanced Warfighting Experiment. Here’s a rundown on a dozen of them.

Defense Systems

Self-repairing jets and laser guns: A vision of future military tech

BAE Systems says the military could have transformer-style jets, directed energy systems and 3D printers on-board aircraft by 2040.

Defense Systems

Air Force seeks new ICBM technologies

The service calls for studies to explore new command and control systems, and advanced missile hardware and parts.

Threats

U.N. Says Syria Found More Chemical Weapons

International authorities confirmed sarin had been found in 'abandoned' containers the Assad regime says were located in rebel-held territory. By Global Security Newswire

Threats

U.S., China Begin Strategic Talks on North Korea Nukes

Secretary of State John Kerry is in Beijing Wednesday for yearly bilateral talks on North Korean nuclear threats. By Global Security Newswire

Science & Tech

The Pentagon Won't Demolish Its Alaskan Research Facility Just Yet

Tin-foil theorists can keep their hats for one more year as the Air Force mulls a transfer of its 180-antenna Alaskan facility to university researchers. By Bob Brewin