Policy

Feds in Iraq will continue to receive special premium pay, OPM says

Civilian employees in Iraq may waive a pay cap through December under a 2003 emergency declaration, according to a recent memo from the HR agency. 

US, UK, Australia loosen mutual export controls

New rules may mark a “generational-level change” in allies’ industrial and technological collaboration.

Leaked training videos show civil service remains in Project 2025's crosshairs

The videos repeatedly stressed the need for more “political control” of agencies, though they stopped short of overtly discussing the Trump campaign or the Heritage Foundation-led transition project’s endorsement of Schedule F.

Social-media firms are lowering defenses to foreign disinformation campaigns, researchers warn

Meta is about to become the latest to scuttle a key tool—just months before a U.S. election.

National-security workforce needs young people, former NSA chief says

Paul Nakasone says fifteen times more 50-plus-year-olds work in national security than under-30s. At least one university is trying to step up.

DARPA hires Twitter whistleblower as CIO

Peiter “Mudge” Zatko will return to the agency after a decade spent working for several leading tech firms.

Wartime need for drones would outstrip US production. There’s a way to fix that

The U.S. military needs to “mainstream” new operating concepts and get going with big orders, experts say.

Meet the Pentagon's first-ever cyber policy chief

The Senate has confirmed Michael Sulmeyer to fill a position it helped create.

Senators take another crack at solving over-classification

The bipartisan Classification Reform for Transparency Act would establish a task force to narrow the criteria for classifying documents and make it harder for agencies to exempt records from automatic declassification.

US Forces Japan to be upgraded to warfighting command

The shift will move operational control of Japan-based forces east from Hawaii and, officials say, deepen cooperation with the Japanese military.

Austin heads to Asia with $500M for the Philippines

DOD officials said the SecDef's multi-country swing will be the administration's most important visit for "U.S. defense ties in the Indo-Pacific."

Unpacking Harris' record on defense civilians and workforce

The vice president has fought discriminatory pay practices, helped guide how the government uses AI, and championed public-sector unions.

Exclusive

Every squad will get anti-drone gear, Marine Corps says

With “zero decision space” to deal with incoming UAVs, troops need tools to take them down.