Ideas
The World Needs New Rules for Armed Drones
New data shows how armed drones are proliferating around the world and why international standards to govern them are overdue.
Science & Tech
Obama To Sell Armed Drones To More Countries
New rules suggest that more drones are headed to the Middle East to fight the Islamic State.
Science & Tech
Here Come the Drones: FAA Announces Civilian Rules
New regulations allow for wider civilian drone use in U.S. air space, but pizza delivery is still a ways away.
Science & Tech
White House Wants More Reaper Drones To Fight ISIS
With the terrorism fight spreading the military wants more drones to fight ISIS.
Science & Tech
Obama Calls for Regulations After Drone Crashes Near White House
The president said the country needs a new legal framework for managing the growing number of commercial drones in America's skies.
Science & Tech
Did the White House Use Drone Killing Technology?
Here's how the White House can keep drones off its lawn but you can't off yours. By Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
The US Military Is Building Gangs of Autonomous Flying War Bots
Flying swarms of semi-smart drones are coming to a war near you. By Patrick Tucker
Business
America's Border Drones Are Costly and Ineffective, Watchdog Finds
An inspector general's report says the Department of Homeland Security's drone program does not do enough to justify a nearly half-billion dollar expansion. By Dustin Volz
Science & Tech
The Air Force Needs a Lot More Drone Pilots
An internal memo between top Air Force generals shows there are too few pilots to fill the Pentagon's growing demand for air strikes over places like Iraq and Syria. By Hanna Kozlowska
Ideas
Defense One's Top 10 Stories of 2014
It was a frenetic year in national security that included Iraq, Russia, China, Robots and X-Ray Guns.
Science & Tech
The Military Wants Smarter Insect Spy Drones
Tiny flying machines need better brains before they can start spying on you. By Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
Drone-Hunting Blimp To Launch Over Washington
A high-altitude radar blimp is set to take off over the nation’s capital. By Patrick Tucker
Policy
Will Congress Investigate Drone Killings Next?
Details about how drones are used to kill terrorists remain unknown and the next Senate Foreign Relations chairman says it's an area ripe for oversight. By Lauren Fox
Threats
America Ended Torture But Continues Drone Strikes
The Senate's report on CIA interrogation closes one dark chapter—and leaves another open. By Kathy Gilsinan
Science & Tech
Navy Tests Super Precise Laser Weapon in Persian Gulf
Deployed aboard a ship in the Persian Gulf, the Navy’s new drone-killing laser is exceeding expectations. By Patrick Tucker
Threats
The US Just Launched Its 500th Drone Strike
The tactic is almost as old as the Afghanistan war. And nowadays it has become completely routine. By Micah Zenko
Science & Tech
This Robot Military Supply Helicopter Could Soon Be Fighting Wildfires
The K-Max has performed well in supplying troops in Afghanistan. Now it could help fight fires around the world. By Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
A Look Inside a Secret US Air Force Intelligence Center
With no U.S. boots on the ground in Syria and not many in Iraq, it’s up to young intelligence analysts here to search for Islamic State militants. By Marcus Weisgerber
Science & Tech
The Environmentally Friendly Drone That Could 'Disappear' on the Battlefield
If this surveillance drone crashes, it's creators say it could decompose before an enemy could find it. By Shirley Li
Science & Tech