Threats

US blacklists Kaspersky software over alleged Kremlin ties

The Commerce Department says its products could expose sensitive data; company denies it.

Science & Tech

Two startups join forces to make self-flying tankers, dogfighting AI, and more

Merlin Labs, which aims to test an AI-powered KC-135 within a year, is to buy F-16 AI driver EpiSci.

Science & Tech

How AI is turning satellite imagery into a window on the future

What can a picture from space tell you? “You're likely to have a drought here that might lead to civil unrest.”

Threats

Nine takeaways from ProPublica's investigation into Microsoft’s cybersecurity failures

A whistleblower repeatedly tried to get the tech giant to fix a security flaw that left millions of users exposed—including contractors, the State Department, and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Policy

What will happen to the Air Force’s next-gen fighter jet?

The service may be waffling on NGAD because it’s dealing with a “truly miserable choice,” one analyst said.

Defense Systems

US Army, Navy reduce dependence on China for ‘critical technology’

But the Air Force and other Pentagon agencies are using even more Chinese suppliers, a report finds.

Business

Rheinmetall opens repair center for armored vehicles in Ukraine

It appears to be one of the first foreign-owned repair centers inside the war-torn country.

Business

Inside the Navy’s slick effort to find workers to build submarines

The BuildSubmarines ad blitz is part of an innovative campaign to shore up one particular aspect of the industrial base.

Business

Pentagon looks beyond primes for cheaper drones

The Air Force and DIU say non-traditional contractors offer “the best chance” for inexpensive mass production.

Threats

Former vice chief of naval operations arrested on bribery, conspiracy charges

Robert Burke, a retired four-star, is alleged to have steered work toward a services company while he was commanding Naval Forces Europe-Africa.

Ideas

The West needs to produce more critical minerals. Here’s how the Pentagon should help

Geological and technological obstacles will require subsidies to overcome.

Defense Systems

Pentagon bets $480m on AI-fueled intel platform

Starting June 1, a Palantir system will bring enhanced intelligence data to the Joint Staff and combatant commands.