Science & Tech
As Pentagon Dawdles, Silicon Valley Sells Its Newest Tech Abroad
A trio of tech CEOs say red tape and onerous requirements are undermining Ash Carter’s outreach efforts.
Science & Tech
The Military Wants a Privacy Firewall for Disaster Response
A new tool to strip personal information from tweets and social media could help troops zero in on trouble spots.
Ideas
Three Ways to Judge the Pentagon’s Tech-Sector Outreach
Hint: it’s not about how many zeroes are on the first checks.
Science & Tech
F-35 Will Fly Despite Auditor’s Fleet-Grounding Warning
Pentagon officials say the plane can fly without the aircraft’s enormously complex diagnostics system.
Ideas
The Mistake that Decapitated Pentagon Innovation — and How to Fix It
When the Packard Commission demoted the director of defense engineering and research, they essentially elevated gunsmithing over strategic marksmanship.
Science & Tech
Old Laws Are Keeping the US Navy from New IT Gear
The service’s deputy chief information officer says outdated regulations 'make it a struggle' for the military to stay on the cutting edge.
Science & Tech
In Libya, You Can Buy an Anti-Aircraft Gun on Facebook
An online marketplace for illicit weapons is thriving in the Middle East and North Africa, according to a recent study that found sales of machine guns, rocket launchers, and anti-aircraft guns on private Facebook groups in Libya.
Science & Tech
US Christens First Ghost Ship (and The Dawn of The Robotic Navy)
Autonomous vessels like this submarine hunter will play a growing role in future naval missions and will soon crowd the seas.
Business
Giddy Among Fellow Nerds, Carter Pitches Pentagon Work to Techies
The defense secretary takes his outreach tour to robotics labs and startup centers in Austin and Boston.
Science & Tech
What the Pentagon’s Bug Bounty Program Won’t Fix
The defense secretary reveals a prize pool of $150,000, but will the program reveal the limits of Silicon Valley solutions to DOD problems?
Ideas
The FBI Should Tell Apple About the iPhone Vulnerability, If It Can
White House cybersecurity guidelines suggest disclosure, but the feds may not actually have the information.
Science & Tech
The Dark Web Is Too Slow and Annoying for Terrorists
For starters, a site on the dark web doesn’t do what jihadis need it to do: get their message out.
Science & Tech
Pentagon Mapmakers Are Using Social Media to Chart Syrians' Exodus
Officials admit the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's approach has its limitations.
Science & Tech
Skunk Works Chief: How To Keep America’s Airborne Advantage
Regular updates to the F-22 and F-35, says Lockheed’s Weiss, plus a deep commitment to chasing the game-changing tech of the future.
Science & Tech
The Pentagon Wants to Buy That Bomb You’re Building in the Garage
DARPA will pay tinkerers to weaponize off-the-shelf items — in hopes of defending against such hacks.
Ideas
US Ballistic Missile Defense Needs A Boost
Amid ominous tests by Iran and North Korea, why is the Missile Defense Agency’s budget shrinking?
Science & Tech
The Ukrainian Blackout and the Future of War
The world’s first cyber-caused electricity blackout shook security experts around the globe. Here’s what it means for keeping the lights on.
Ideas
The US Government Is Secretly Huddling With Tech Firms to Fight Extremism
A coalition of civil rights groups wants to be included in the closed-door meetings to keep the feds in check.
Science & Tech
So That Thumbprint Thing on Your Phone Is Useless Now
Researchers found a cheap, easy way to copy your fingerprints a few months after millions of Americans had theirs stolen by hackers.
Science & Tech