Author Archive

Patrick Tucker

Science & Technology Editor

Patrick Tucker
Patrick Tucker is science and technology editor for Defense One. He’s also the author of The Naked Future: What Happens in a World That Anticipates Your Every Move? (Current, 2014). Previously, Tucker was deputy editor for The Futurist for nine years. Tucker has written about emerging technology in Slate, The Sun, MIT Technology Review, Wilson Quarterly, The American Legion Magazine, BBC News Magazine, Utne Reader, and elsewhere.
Policy

Qatar looks to bolster its military power with new hub, partnerships

The Kingdom has spent decades cultivating its reputation as a place where enemies can sit down and talk. Apparently, even that requires an air-defense system.

Policy

The real job of the Army’s new ‘robotics technicians’ is constant adaptation

The age of battlefield autonomy demands more than just drone pilots and mechanics, Special Forces’ training chief says.

Policy

Hegseth, service secretaries discuss ‘generational change’ of Autonomous Warfare Command

Each of the services will also stand up a component command, defense secretary said.

Science & Tech

Army plans ‘rodeo’ to round up supply-chain problems

The service’s “biggest acquisition program” is fostering new companies, acting secretary says.

Threats

Pentagon update on National Defense Strategy cites progress, omits key threats

The report to Congress notes accomplishments but masks depleted arsenals, strategic distractions, and a quiet retreat from European defense.

Science & Tech

NATO’s thumbs-up for AWS shows Europe still needs America

The company has become the first cloud provider to win approval to handle sensitive data for all alliance members.

Science & Tech

Will airmen trust AI? The Air Force’s future plans depend on it

Getting leaders and operators comfortable with agents will require new doctrine, training, and permissions.

Threats

Iran strikes exposed gaps in medical evacuation ops across Middle East: IG

Medical professionals have long warned that drones would cause higher U.S. battlefield casualties. A new Inspector General report shows the military is still scrambling to meet that challenge.

Science & Tech

AI-powered biowarfare is coming; the Army lays plans to ‘fight through’ it

A new strategy aims to prepare to “deploy, fight, and win decisively in a bio-contested environment” by 2035.

Policy

‘Change agent’ Army secretary resigns

Hegseth’s purging of transformation-focused generals led to Dan Driscoll’s resignation, source says.

Science & Tech

The US military gets its own ChatGPT today

After months of security testing, Pentagon adds an OpenAI product to the list of AI tools approved for unclassified work.

Science & Tech

Privacy-focused communication app aims for military customers and beyond

When adversaries can forge faces and voices in real time, traditional secure messaging is no longer enough.

Threats

AI-enabled deception threatens future operations, raises chances of large conflict, says Special Operations leader

“The information environment itself is much less transparent” now than in the past, and AI will make it worse, officials say.

Policy

As warfare becomes engineering, the era of the digital mercenary dawns

The White House revives “privateering for the digital age” by authorizing cyber firms to strike foreign targets.

Threats

AI agents conspired to hack into networks and steal data during an experiment: study

When researchers imposed difficult missions, AI tools forged identities, escaped sandboxes—and tried to cover it all up.