Science & Tech

House Passes Blockbuster Cybersecurity Bill

Despite fears that the measure could bolster the NSA's spying power, it cleared the lower chamber by a wide margin.

Science & Tech

The Army Is Testing Handheld Ray Guns

Fittingly, these rifle-sized weapons would gun for other electronics.

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.

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.

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.

Science & Tech

The Army Is Sharing Its Top Cyber Warriors With Hollywood and Wall Street

A new public-private program wants to 'marry-up' cyber soldiers with a civilian career to defend against online threats.

Science & Tech

Pentagon To Recruit Thousands For Cybersecurity Reserve Force

Military leaders want private sector and National Guard cyber professionals at the ready in case of a national network emergency.

Threats

New Pentagon Chief Carter to Court Silicon Valley

The Pentagon wants to partner more with Silicon Valley tech firms, but can radically different cultures find common ground?

Science & Tech

The Navy is Preparing To Launch Swarm Bots Out of Cannons

The military’s swarm robots move from sea to air with a new program to shoot drones.

Science & Tech

The Pentagon's Cartographers Won't Be Robots Anytime Soon

Machines are increasingly taking on routine scanning tasks, but are still no match for human analysts.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Seeks Sensors That Last for Years

Reducing battery drain by a factor of 1,000 will enable true “persistent surveillance.”

Science & Tech

New Tech Will Allow Navy To Target with Jamming Pods

Faster datalinks will allow the Navy’s EA-18 Growler to pinpoint insurgents with weapons-quality accuracy.

Science & Tech

US Hospitals Could Save Billions If They Took This Lesson from the VA

Most hospitals don’t have good ways of measuring the complex costs associated with an individual patient’s stay in the hospital. The VA is one surprising exception.

Science & Tech

A Global Consensus on Cyber Security Is Gaining Momentum

Here’s what to look for in two meetings that will explore how states with limited capacity can draw upon technologically sophisticated countries.

Science & Tech

Can Facial Recognition Technology Help US Spies Predict China's Next Island?

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is using technology akin to facial recognition to track and predict China's strategy for militarizing a region known as Mischief Reef.

Science & Tech

How the NSA Is Using the Cloud To Thwart the Next Snowden

In a post-Snowden world, is it really a good idea to have analysts swimming around in one vast ocean of NSA secrets and data?