Policy
Military Intelligence Spending Just Posted Biggest Spike in a Decade
With an 18 percent increase this year, the Pentagon’s $22 billion intelligence tab is rising faster than civilian spy agencies.
Ideas
Secretary Mattis, Defend This or Resign
If Defense Secretary Mattis believes the migrant caravan is not a threat requiring 5,000 active troops deploying to the border, he should say so and quit.
Threats
After Laser Attacks, Pentagon Spending $200M to Protect Pilots’ Eyeballs
The contracts came just months after the U.S. accused China of trying to blind military pilots in Africa and the Pacific.
Policy
What Mattis Said in the Middle East
The defense secretary said he pressed his Saudi counterpart on the murder of a U.S.-based journalist, but U.S.-Saudi relations appear little changed.
Ideas
The Pentagon’s Getting More Secretive — and It’s Hurting National Security
Trump’s DoD is rolling back the kind of basic transparency that prevents waste and fraud, enables Congressional oversight, and promotes public trust.
Policy
Will Trump Really Cut Defense Spending by 5%? It’s Way Too Early To Say
The Pentagon’s No. 2 confirms that the president’s surprise order will affect the military, but experts say there may ultimately be no decline at all.
Ideas
The US Needs a Cybersecurity Civilian Corps
Like the auxiliaries that arose during WWII, a new volunteer organization will help face today’s threats.
Policy
Pentagon Officials Debating How Fast to Launch Space Force, Deputy Says
White House panel announces formal recommendations, while Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan confirms NRO will remain apart from Space Force.
Policy
US: Afghan Security Strategy Is ‘Working,’ Despite Insider Attacks
A Pentagon spokesman cites a two-thirds decrease in attacks since the war’s peak eight years ago.
Policy
Here’s The Pentagon’s Initial Plan For Creating a Space Force
Parts of the Air Force, Navy and Army would move into a sixth branch, but the NRO will likely remain independent.
Ideas
How the Joint Staff Calculated a Defense Program’s Return on Investment
As our office computed the utility of its wargaming grants and library, we learned some things that others in DoD may want to copy.
Policy
Mattis Asks Trump to OK US Space Command, Pick Leaders
The Pentagon has made a number of internal moves to create the 11th combatant command.
Science & Tech
The Pentagon Is Recruiting Tech Talent Like Colleges Recruit Athletes
The Defense Department is trying new methods of engagement to recruit young techies.
Policy
US Military Leaders Keep Quiet on Saudi Arabia Amid Khashoggi Outrage
The Pentagon has long accepted Saudi abuses as the price of friendship. The latest won’t change that.
Ideas
Microsoft, Amazon CEOs Vow to Continue Defense Work After Google Bails on JEDI
The leaders of two contenders for the Pentagon’s massive cloud contract sounded off on Google’s decision not to bid.
Business
L3, Harris CEOs: Merger Will Help Compete Against Top Contractors
L3 expects to depart its Manhattan headquarters and join Harris in Florida.
Ideas
The Pentagon’s Push to Program Soldiers’ Brains
DARPA’s developing capabilities still hover at or near a proof-of-concept stage. But that’s close enough to have drawn investment from some of the world’s richest corporations.
Science & Tech
IBM Files Bid Protest Against Pentagon’s JEDI Contract
IBM becomes the second company to file a pre-award bid protest against the Pentagon’s multibillion cloud contract.
Threats
Scientists: Pentagon’s Plant-Virus Research Could Endanger World’s Food Supply
But DOD responds that new ways are needed to harden crops against coming natural and manmade threats.
Business