Science & Tech
Pentagon to Study Putting Anti-Missile Laser Weapons in Space
The long-anticipated missile defense review shies away from a full-scale push — which critics say underlines the idea’s folly.
Science & Tech
The Pentagon Has More than 250 Cyber Gaps in Its Networks, Watchdog Says
The Defense Department has a lot of work to do to remedy some years-old cyber issues.
Science & Tech
DARPA Thinks Insect Brains Might Hold the Secret to Next-Gen AI
They’re small, efficient and capable of basic reasoning, and researchers want artificial intelligence tools to do the same.
Business
Pentagon Owns Fewer Buildings Than Previously Thought: Audit
The Navy was counting buildings that were demolished and the Army was counting uninhabitable facilities on the books.
Policy
Can Pat Shanahan Serve as ‘Acting’ Defense Secretary Forever?
The law is unclear, and the situation all but unprecedented.
Policy
Trump Instructs Pentagon to Curb Watchdogs' Access to Secret Military Reports
Transparency groups decry move as hindering the work of inspectors general.
Ideas
Trump Escalates His Assault on Civil-Military Relations
The president’s public disparagement of retired generals compounds the damage he has done.
Ideas
Meet the New (Acting) US Defense Secretary
With no military experience and just a year and a half in government, the former Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan has yet to develop a foreign-policy vision of his own.
Ideas
A Giant Repair Job Awaits the First Post-Trump SecDef
It will be a rebuilding project the likes of which has not been seen since the Vietnam War.
Policy
Hard-Nosed Pentagon Negotiator Removed From Job; Racked Up Huge Travel Costs
Shay Assad also backed a controversial plan to slow payments to defense contractors.
Policy
The ‘Nightmare Scenario’ Has Happened and You’re to Blame
Trump’s withdrawal from from Syria is what military leaders feared — and exactly what he promised.
Ideas
James Mattis’s Final Protest Against the President
The defense secretary, who resigned on Thursday, was one of the last senior officials in the government who could constrain Donald Trump.
Policy
Mattis Resigns Over Disagreements with Trump
In two-page resignation letter, defense secretary cites need to treat allies with respect, potential adversaries with resolve.
Science & Tech
The Pentagon Doesn’t Know All the Software on Its Networks—And That’s a Problem
The Defense Department faces “unnecessary” risk without a complete software inventory, according to the agency’s inspector general.
Business
Civilians Are Cheaper Than Contractors for Most Defense Jobs, Internal Report Finds
Contractors are particularly more expensive in the capital and Southeastern regions, according to a report obtained exclusively by Government Executive.
Threats
ISIS Is Not Defeated. Pulling US Troops From Syria Would Jeopardize Everything
I just returned from my fifth trip to Northeast Syria in 18 months. If the US quits now, there are four winners: ISIS, Assad, Russia, and Iran.
Policy
Trump’s Space Force Request Is Coming — But Final Form Remains Hazy
Will his proposed space organization more resemble the Air Force or the Marines? Pence didn’t say.
Policy
The Biggest Difference Between Inhofe and Smith? How Much Danger They Think the US Faces
The incoming SASC chair says “we live in the most dangerous world of my lifetime.” His HASC counterpart calls that “simple paranoia.”
Ideas
Pentagon Needs Better System to Track Fraudulent Spending
The incoming Congress should tie defense budgets to accounting improvements.
Ideas