Threats

The Pentagon's Next Unclassified Email System May Live in the Cloud

The Defense Department’s IT agency is asking industry about setting up a new email system for its 1.6 million users.

Science & Tech

A Top-Secret Cell Phone Is Just One New Tool the Pentagon Can Expect Soon

In a call with reporters, the Defense Department's chief information officer shared a handful of new developments on the Pentagon's tech horizon.

Threats

Only ‘4 or 5’ US-Trained Syrians Are Still in the Fight Against ISIS

It’s far from the 15,000 envisioned over three years, CENTCOM commander Gen. Austin conceded to lawmakers.

Policy

Carter: Congressional Inaction on Defense Budget Is Dangerous and Embarrassing

U.S. defense secretary also calls on China to halt island-building, and touts coming personnel reforms.

Policy

Russia Is Setting Up A Forward Operating Base in Syria, Pentagon Confirms

Amid a tide of news reports and statements about Russian deployments to Syria, the Defense Department confirms a few details.

Business

Pentagon Orders Even More HQ Cuts, Infuriating Employees' Union

Defense Department personnel officials are moving ahead with a more-severe version of an existing plan for cuts to headquarters staff—angering a major union in the process.

Business

Ash Who? After Six Months On The Job, 44% Have No Opinion on Defense Secretary

A Defense One survey finds that nearly half of troops, natsec employees say they still have no opinion about Ash Carter.

Ideas

What Congress Can Learn from the Military About Cybersecurity

As it stands, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act won’t much improve information-sharing. Here's how to change that.

Ideas

Why Can’t Obama Get His Defense Secretary To Release This Guantanamo Prisoner?

The Pentagon, not Congress, is blocking the release of 75-pound prisoner Tariq Ba Odah, six years after he was cleared to go. Where is the president?

Policy

Pentagon Pressures Turkey to Strike ISIS, Tighten Border

More than a year into the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State militants, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is demanding Ankara do more.

Ideas

The Pentagon Wants To Wage War on Denial-of-Service Cyber Attacks

By next spring, researchers are expected to unveil new tools enabling organizations like the Defense Department a rapid response to distributed denial-of-service attacks.

Business

Carter Crafts Close Team of Chiefs to Finish Out Obama Years

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s team is finally coming together, but they don’t have much time to accomplish several ambitious projects.

Threats

US Releases First ISIS Detainee to Iraq, Setting Precedent for a New War

The White House hands Nasrin As’ad Ibrahim to Iraqi authorities, saying it has a ‘firm belief that she will be held to account for her crimes.’

Science & Tech

The Pentagon Wants a Secretive Cyber Arms Dealer To Hack Its Networks

The company, Endgame, is part of a legal but controversial industry that sells governments hacking tools called 'zero days' to pinpoint vulnerabilities.

Business

Pentagon Sends an Engineer and a Navy SEAL to Woo Silicon Valley

Not five months after its announcement, the military’s California technology-hunting office is up and running.

Policy

Here’s One Way the US-China Relationship Is Improving

Even as tensions in the South China Sea heats up and online thefts increase, military-to-military contacts have been rising for five straight years.

Business

US Marines Say F-35 is Ready for War

Seven years late and billions of dollars over its original budget, the Joint Strike Fighter is deemed ready to fight.

Policy

Pentagon Doesn’t Know If It’s Allowed to Defend Syrian Fighters or Turkish ‘Safe Zone’

That’s an odd situation to be in as the U.S. puts the first of its trained-and-equipped opposition fighters into Syria and finalizes an agreement with Turkey to back a “safe zone” on the Syrian border.

Science & Tech

The Military Will Test a New Terrifyingly Loud Noise Gun

The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program is developing lasers that create a screaming ball of plasma on their target.

Threats

To Prevent Insider Threats, DOD Must First Define ‘Normal’

The Pentagon thinks it can build an automated system to predict and prevent future Fort Hood-style attacks. But it’s a problem as big as big data itself.