Science & Tech

China’s military aims to harness the coming ‘ChatGPT for robotics’

Analogues to large language models for movements and tasks could usher humanoid robots onto the battlefield.

Threats

China’s rare-earth mineral squeeze will hit the Pentagon hard

More than 78 percent of the U.S. military’s weapons rely on Chinese materials, a new report calculates.

Science & Tech

Nano-material breakthrough could revolutionize night vision

A new sensor material needs no bulky cooling gear—and fewer Chinese rare earths—to work well.

Policy

US to allies: Don’t use Chinese satellite services

Internal talking points also give State Department officials guidance on responding to concerns about SpaceX’s Starlink.

Ideas

It’s China’s turn to face transnational terrorism threats

Beijing may be more motivated than ever to cooperate with the United States on counterterrorism.

Policy

State of the Space Force 2025

As Trump envisions “our manifest destiny into the stars,” the Space Force is set to play a key role in America’s space ambitions.

Science & Tech

Could this breakthrough in robot manufacturing reshape warfare?

New advance in artificial intelligence manufacturing could set the stage for robot factories on front lines.

Business

US weapons support for Ukraine doesn’t compete with Taiwan goals: report

FDD authors say America can continue to arm three partners at once—if it rebuilds its factories.

Ideas

No TikTok deal at all is better than a bad one

And it’s high time to prepare for the next time an app threatens national security.

Threats

How China is expanding its anti-satellite arsenal

The Space Force chief doesn’t like the “curves” of how China is progressing vs the U.S.—and says he doesn’t have the funding to reverse it.

Ideas

We tried ‘fighting China’ with lower budgets. It didn’t go well.

Tabletop exercises hosted by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments offer one big lesson for the fiscal 2026 spending plan.