Author Archive
Patrick Tucker
Science & Technology Editor, Defense One

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
Macron Will Push NATO For ‘Concrete’ Security Guarantee for Ukraine
With alliance membership still unsure, French president wants the next best thing.
- Patrick Tucker
Threats
Estonia Will Ask For a Clearer Path for Ukraine to Join NATO
In Europe, defense ministers and military experts worry that the world is not learning the lessons from Ukraine quickly enough.
- Patrick Tucker
Threats
‘No Magic Weapons’: Milley Sets Expectations On F-16s
Joint Chiefs Chairman defends United States’ gradual approach on weapons for Ukraine.
- Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
Space Force Will Look At How to Hack Targets From Space
“We're laying the groundwork for starting to figure that,” said the leader of Space Operations Command.
- Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
In Ukraine, USAID Created a Blueprint for Digital Citizenship. Now They’re Exporting It
The value of a USAID investment comes into sharp focus as Putin attempts to “win an information war in the Global South,” Samantha Power says.
- Patrick Tucker
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 125: The Army’s recruiting crisis; the science of special forces; and NATO’s Mircea Geoană
Can the Army pull itself out of a two-year recruiting slump? And what sort of gear is drawing the attention of America's special operators?
- Patrick Tucker, Ben Watson and Sam Skove
Science & Tech
Unmanned Weapons Will Save Innocent Lives in War, Former SOCOM Chief Says
But how? We’ll have to wait and see, Tony Thomas said.
- Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
Regulate AI to Boost Trustworthiness and Avoid Catastrophe, Experts Tell Lawmakers
The difference between AI that’s a boon to society or a curse lies in truthfulness, a uniquely human concept.
- Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
US Military Now Has Voice-Controlled Bug Drones
And next year, they might talk back.
- Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
Tomorrow’s Special Operator? Less Iron Man, More 007
But first, SOCOM must reverse a trend of “falling behind, not just linearly but exponentially” to Chinese and Russian tech.
- Patrick Tucker
Threats
Without A New Draft, Russian Offensive Operations Are Over, US Intel Chiefs Say
It could take a decade before Russian ground forces are back to where they were before the war.
- Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
The Pentagon’s AI Chief Is ‘Scared to Death’ of ChatGPT
But other defense leaders are more eager to deploy new artificial-intelligence tools.
- Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
How DOD Is Experimenting with AI for Enhanced Cybersecurity
Automated penetration testing and threat hunting could enable much faster response to threats. But adversaries are also accelerating their capabilities.
- Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
The NSA Is Warning AI Startups: ‘China Is Coming For You’
In congressional testimony, intelligence leaders describe highlight China’s artificial-intelligence ambitions.
- Patrick Tucker
Threats
US ‘Very Confident’ Ukraine Has What It Needs For Counteroffensive
And China is paying a cost for its support of Russia’s aggression, U.S. Europe Command says.
- Patrick Tucker
Policy
Special Operations Seeks 20% R&D Budget Bump
Collaborative autonomy and better contested communications top the wish list, while supply-chain risk becomes a top concern.
- Patrick Tucker
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 123: The Discord leaks and what might lie ahead for Ukraine
Defense One’s Patrick Tucker and Sam Skove help explain where Russia's Ukraine invasion stands today, and what might unfold over the coming weeks and months.
- Patrick Tucker, Ben Watson and Sam Skove
Policy
US Can Handle China, Ukraine Missions Simultaneously, Top Pacific Admiral Says
But do send more money, the leader of Indo-Pacific Command told lawmakers.
- Patrick Tucker
Exclusive
Science & Tech
CENTCOM Hires AI Guru from Google
Andrew Moore, former director of Google Cloud AI, heads to CENTCOM to bring new approaches to data and innovation.
- Patrick Tucker
Science & Tech
Why the Pentagon’s Response to the Discord Leaks Won’t Fix the Problem
The Defense Department keeps too many secrets, uses old approaches to secret storage, and does not apply data-driven strategies to classification.
- Patrick Tucker