Defense Systems
USAF primed to launch new phase of data strategy
Eileen Vidrine, the Air Force's chief data officer, talks about department's priorities are, how they've changed this year and how the Defense Department's data strategy ties it all together.
Exclusive
Policy
EXCLUSIVE: Details Revealed in Trump’s Lame-Duck Pentagon Budget Draft
Some of the numbers are “fabricated,” says one official. But they shed light on GOP lines of attack awaiting Biden.
Policy
Dems See GOP Electioneering in Air Force Choice of Georgia for C-130 Base
A Trump appointee wants Air National Guard planes sent to the state that holds the key to Senate control.
Defense Systems
Making software more than an 'IT thing'
Software modernization has a branding problem, and it's going to take more than the colloquial culture shift to speed up the Defense Department's adoption of modern tech capabilities, according to Deputy CIO Peter Ranks.
Business
Pentagon Expects to Fail Another Audit, But Says Progress Made
Officials say they’re on pace to pass an audit…in 2027.
Ideas
What Clinton’s Foreign Affairs Article May Mean for the Defense Budget
Her approach, more rebalancing rather than modernizing, avoids a simple zero-sum frame of defense vs. non-defense spending.
Business
Is Lockheed Building the Air Force’s Secret Fighter?
Executives drop some not-so-subtle clues.
Ideas
The Coming F-35 Fiasco
Now that Qatar is asking for the jet, it’s time to consider an entirely different approach to helping Gulf nations defend themselves.
Business
How An Amateur Planespotter Sparked Nuclear Dread
The bogus Trump-COVID-E-6B connection reminds us to be wary of ascribing meaning to coincidence.
Ideas
The US Should Remove Its Nukes from Europe
There’s no prudent use case, and their non-stealthy fighter jets can’t deliver them anyway.
Science & Tech
Boots on The Moon Are Going to Have to Wait, Space Force General Says
NASA’s astronaut program is the quickest way to space for military personnel.
Threats
Air Force Wants 'Data Science Ecosystems' to Shorten OODA Loops
The AF Research Lab is looking for ways to deal with the rising ocean of surveillance video and other sensor data.
Ideas
The Real F-35 Problem We Need to Solve
Unless its logistics can be improved, the jet’s contributions to a major fight will be far less than Pentagon wargamers are counting on.
Ideas
A $13 Billion Contract for ICBMs: What’s the Rush?
The deal needs closer scrutiny — as does the purported need for new long-range ballistic missiles at all.
Ideas
The Air Force Needs a New Non-Stealthy Bomber
There are important things the B-1 and B-52 do that the B-21 won’t.
Science & Tech