Science & Tech
The US Air Force Is Giving Its Anti-Drone Efforts a Silicon Valley Twist
A new kind of investor-innovation partnership may help speed emerging technology to the front lines.
Science & Tech
Trump Has Not Asked Us To Stop Russian Election Meddling, Intelligence Chiefs Testify
The intelligence community agrees Russia will try to influence the 2018 midterms, but they’re less clear on how to stop the Kremlin.
Science & Tech
Pentagon Requesting $66M For Laser Drones to Shoot Down North Korean Missiles
The Missile Defense Agency is rushing to put more solutions in the field and trying to put past failures behind them.
Science & Tech
US Army Now Holding Drills With Ground Robots That Shoot
Last year saw a historic first: an exercise in which an unmanned vehicle provided live covering fire for American troops.
Science & Tech
The Marines Are Giving Quadcopters to Every Squad
The Corps says new robots, tech, and video games will keep Marines on the tactical edge.
Science & Tech
How Long Did the US Government Know about Spectre and Meltdown?
The largest CPU bug in history caught the Defense Department by surprise. Or not.
Science & Tech
No, the US Won’t Respond to A Cyber Attack with Nukes
Defense leaders won’t completely rule out the possibility. But it’s a very, very, very remote possibility.
Science & Tech
Strava’s Just the Start: The US Military’s Losing War Against Data Leakage
The Defense Department can’t stop the rising river of digital metadata — or prevent enemies from dipping into it.
Threats
DHS’s New Plan for Refugee Screening Looks a Lot Like TSA PreCheck
Forget bans. Risk-based screening is the new way to vet refugees, and it could be useful for visa applicants as well.
Science & Tech
Chelsea Manning’s Campaign Website is Based in Iceland. Why?
For one thing, it’s harder for U.S. law enforcement to search. That may matter to the Wikileaks contributor-turned-U.S. Senate candidate.
Threats
How Turkey Twisted Three Words Into a Pretext for Invasion
Ankara said a U.S. plan to train some Syrian Kurds was a threat. So it sent tanks and artillery to kill some others.
Science & Tech
The Cost To Put a Microsatellite Constellation Into Space Just Fell Through the Floor
Super-cheap rocket startup hits orbit in new test, demonstrates space maneuvering to deposit satellites.
Threats
What A Nuclear Missile Attack On Hawaii Would Look Like
A blast over Honolulu would be catastrophic. That doesn’t mean the government shouldn’t help the public prepare for one.
Science & Tech
Here’s How to Stop Squelching New Ideas, Eric Schmidt’s Advisory Board Tells DoD
An exclusive preview of the Defense Innovation Board’s new recommendations for James Mattis.
Science & Tech
As America’s Nukes and Sensors Get More Connected, the Risk of Cyber Attack Is Growing
Future nuclear weapons will be more sophisticated and better integrated with other equipment. That has benefits and drawbacks.
Policy
Why the President’s FISA Fix Is Bad News For Privacy, Good News for Russian Agents
Early-morning tweets revealed Trump’s complicated relationship with various spying rules.
Science & Tech
Tomorrow's Cargo Drones Won't Look Much Like Today's Helicopters
Boeing unveils a squarish, skeletal quadcopter to try out new unmanned-delivery concepts.
Science & Tech
Pentagon Seeks Laser-Powered Bat Drones. Really.
A new contest seeks flight systems inspired by Mother Nature and powered by directed-energy beams.
Science & Tech
Iran’s Cyber War on Dissidents Could Infiltrate Your Mailbox
Tehran’s agents are busily working against the protesters — and anyone who may have contacted them from abroad.
Ideas