Science & Tech

The US Needs One Cyber Defense Agency—Not Three, a Top NSA Official Says

With the job divided between NSA, FBI, and DHS, 'we need to rethink how we do cyber defense as a nation.'

Science & Tech

Why the US Military Still Flies Cold-War Era Planes

The U-2 shows how old technologies die hard.

Science & Tech

Should Sailors Be Able to Reprogram Their Ship?

The U.S. Navy’s newest destroyer is automated to an unprecedented degree. Should the crew be allowed to harness it with code?

Science & Tech

The Apps They Carried: Software, Big Data, and the Fight for Mosul

A variety of digital tech tools aim to provide coalition forces some sense of the dangers around the next bend.

Science & Tech

Potemkin Jets Unlikely To Fool US Satellites

But Russia’s inflatable decoys just might tie up scarce U.S. resources long enough to make a difference.

Science & Tech

Got Something to Sell to the Pentagon? It's About to Get Easier

A new office just opened to help the Defense Department's high-tech agency buy more easily from first-time sellers.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Urgently Pushing Anti-Drone Tech to ISIS Fight

From mast-mounted radar to drone-jamming guns, the U.S. military’s anti-IED office is rushing to keep up.

Science & Tech

Bitcoin-Style Security May Soon Guard US Nukes and Satellites

‘Blockchains' could offer crucial intelligence on whether a hacker has modified a database, or whether they’re surveilling a particular military system.

Ideas

The US Accused Russia of Hacking. What Happens Next Will Set a Cyber War Precedent

After blaming Russia for trying to tamper with the presidential election, the White House will want to choose its next move carefully.

Science & Tech

Data-Theft Arrest Shows that Insider Threat Remains Despite Post-Snowden Security Improvements

The recent arrest of an NSA contractor shows that the intelligence community has much further to go in stopping insider threats.

Science & Tech

The US Army’s Next Drone May Fit in a Soldier’s Pocket

The service could start buying palm-sized UAVs to complement its Pumas and Ravens as soon as 2018, according to one official.

Science & Tech

Here’s How Countries Like China, Russia Control Online Dissent

Look at the physical systems that make up internet infrastructure, and you find a network that is a lot more centralized than you might think.

Science & Tech

The CIA Says It Can Predict Social Unrest as Early as 3 to 5 Days Out

The reason: a dramatic improvement in analytics, cloud computing and ‘deep learning.’

Science & Tech

Tank Maker Teams Up With Remote-Control Car Company

General Dynamics and Kairos look to bridge the gap from here to autonomy.

Science & Tech

UK Is Crowdsourcing Its Swarming Drone Attacks

It’s looking for ways to allow a single soldier to control up to 20 drones at once.

Ideas

Private Companies Shouldn’t Be The Ones Crying ‘State-Sponsored Hack!’

If the U.S. government doesn't start officially attributing cyberattacks, it risks losing control of the narrative and evolving legal norms.

Science & Tech

GM Has Built A Stealth Truck for the Army

A new hydrogen fuel cell truck could put snipers behind enemy lines, in style.

Science & Tech

Beyond Big Dog: The US Army Searches for an Infantry Squadbot

Service officials have a concept of operations and a plan to deploy a cargo-carrying robot alongside dismounted soldiers in 2019. But can the acquisition system keep up?

Science & Tech

US Army Racing to Catch Up to Russia On Battle Drones

After watching UAVs dominate eastern Ukrainian skies, the service is seeking counter-drone tech and new families of flying robots.

Science & Tech

Report: Weapons AI Increasingly Replacing, Not Augmenting, Human Decision Making

A new survey of existing and planned smart weapons finds that AI is increasingly used to replace humans, not help them.