Science & Tech

Pentagon Seeks a Way to Shoot Down Putin’s ‘Invincible’ Hypersonic Missiles

A $13 million DARPA contract will get Northrop working on the problem.

Policy

Here’s what Ukraine’s New Ambassador Is Asking from the US

Yelchenko intends to stress Crimea in meeting with Pompeo, who reportedly said Americans don’t care about Ukraine.

Science & Tech

Spies Like AI: The Future of Artificial Intelligence for the US Intelligence Community

Putting AI to its broadest use in national defense will mean hardening it against attack.

Ideas

Saudi Arabia’s Phone Hacking Shows We Need Better Encryption — Not Backdoors

End-to-end encryption isn’t good enough. Files and cloud backups need strong crypto as well.

Science & Tech

Toward a War With Fewer Radio Calls

A recent Air Force test that data-linked an F-35 and an F-22 promises to move and combine data automatically.

Science & Tech

As Putin Schemes to Extend His Reign, Expect New Forms of Internet Repression

Russia under a president-for-life will likely grow more insular and less open to Western influence.

Science & Tech

When Both Sides Have Drones, How Do You Know Which Ones to Kill?

The U.S. Army recently tested a system that helps defenders wipe the skies of just the unfriendly aerial robots.

Science & Tech

The US Wants to Intimidate China with Hypersonics, Once It Solves the Physics

The U.S. is pressing ahead with new missiles, but questions remain about engineering, tactics, and even geopolitics.

Science & Tech

Iran Is Expanding Its Online Disinformation Operations

Tehran isn’t as practiced as Moscow at purveying propaganda online, but they’re no slouches.

Exclusive Science & Tech

Iran Is Getting Ready to Blow Up A Fake Aircraft Carrier, Again

To test weapons, try out tactics, and intimidate adversaries, Iranian forces may attack its barge-borne “carrier” as soon as March.

Science & Tech

US Government To Restrict Sale of AI for Satellite Image Analysis

Software that can analyze satellite photos would be treated like a weapon.

Science & Tech

What's Next for Iran's Cyber Actors?

The country has grown as a talented, and destructive, network threat over the last several years.

Science & Tech

Space Force Is Go for Launch, But ‘Thousands’ of Decisions Remain

The 2020 defense authorization act ushers in the first new service branch in 72 years.

Science & Tech

Russia Plans to Cut Off Some Internet Access Next Week

The Dec. 23 test aims to evaluate a system meant to control traffic, veil hackers, and quash dissent.

Science & Tech

This Little-Used Area of the Electromagnetic Spectrum Might Be the Future of Battlefield Communications

If commercial 5G millimeter-wave gear can be hardened against jamming, the U.S. Army thinks it might gain a real battlefield edge.

Science & Tech

China Has Increasing Sway in US Science, JASON Report Says

Beijing is using better jobs at home, aggressive intelligence agencies, and a greater financial reach to influence American institutions.

Policy

Ukraine Would Get New Anti-Ship Missiles Under House Bill

Russia would also get new sanctions under the House version of the defense authorization bill.

Science & Tech

House Defense Bill Would Mandate Carbon Capture Program for the Military

A technology that many hope will prevent the worst effects of climate change could also produce fuel or other defense products.

Science & Tech

Special Operations Command Made a Mind-Reading Kit For Elite Troops

The experimental tool is among several that aim to combine sensors and AI to give U.S. operators a new edge.