Ideas
US Military Dominance Requires Better Command-and-Control Tools
Commanders need an AI-infused infrastructure to keep tabs on friendly and hostile forces, suggest actions, and help carry out orders.
Science & Tech
Google is Pursuing the Pentagon’s Giant Cloud Contract Quietly, Fearing An Employee Revolt
A fierce internal debate may undermine the company’s bid for the JEDI program.
Science & Tech
AI: The Pros, Cons, and What To Really Fear
Dive into what's known so far about the new AI arms race — with a particular eye on U.S. and Chinese efforts — in a new special report.
Science & Tech
Shulkin’s Firing Leaves $16B Effort to Merge DoD/VA Health Records Up In The Air
Secretary Shulkin championed a contract with Cerner to develop a new health records system for Veterans Affairs, but the deal seems precarious now.
Threats
In the Era of Fake News, VOA Is Fact-Checking Russia’s Messages
The agency’s Polygraph.info is desk expanding its “disinformation news” coverage.
Threats
How Much Does Artificial Intelligence Threaten National Security?
One lawmaker proposed a commission to examine the emerging tech through a national security lens.
Science & Tech
The US Military Is Making Lasers That Create Voices out of Thin Air
Within three years, the Pentagon's non-lethal weapons lab hopes to have a direct energy weapon that can produce an effect like a haunted walkie-talkie or the biblical burning bush.
Science & Tech
China’s New Frontiers in Dystopian Tech
Facial-recognition technologies are proliferating, from airports to bathrooms.
Science & Tech
The Pentagon Wants AI To Reveal Adversaries’ True Intentions
The U.S. military is looking to enlist game theory and artificial intelligence to fight tomorrow’s unconventional warfare tactics.
Science & Tech
Defense Department Drastically Cuts Nearly $1B Cloud Contract
Amid industry criticism following a $950 million cloud computing contract last month, the Defense Department limited its scope and reduced its size down to $65 million.
Science & Tech
CYBERCOM Leader Offers Advice for His Successor
U.S. Cyber Command's mission has already outgrown its capacity.
Science & Tech
Pentagon’s $1 Billion Cloud Deal May Signal New Era in Government Buying
Congress wants the Defense Department to buy technology faster. Now it's beginning to do just that.
Science & Tech
AI Experts List the Real Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
Every AI advance by the good guys is an advance for the bad guys, too.
Threats
New Report Notes Erosion of Pentagon’s Technological Advantage
The evidence ranges from a new long-range Chinese missile to ramped-up European defense spending, an annual assessment of the world’s militaries finds.
Science & Tech
TSA Wants Your Face To Be Your Passport — But There's One Big Problem With That
With current technology, ethnic minorities and non-American travelers could find biometric identification to be much slower and prone to error.
Science & Tech
Bigger, Faster, Stronger: China’s Ever-Evolving Military Tech
China’s progress hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Science & Tech
Chinese Police Are Wearing Sunglasses That Can Recognize Faces
The devices have already helped nab seven fugitives related to major criminal cases, and 26 others who were traveling with fake identities.
Science & Tech
DOD Issued a $7 Million Cloud Support Contract To a Company With One Employee
The Defense Department awarded a sole-source contract to Eagle Harbor Solutions, an Alaska-based small business with a single employee, to consult in its major cloud acquisition.
Science & Tech
China's Surveillance State Should Scare Everyone
The country is perfecting a vast network of digital espionage as a means of social control—with implications for democracies worldwide.
Science & Tech