Ideas

Why China’s Military Wants to Beat the US to a Next-Gen Cell Network

For Beijing, the race to 5G has always been linked to its national strategy for military-civil fusion.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Seeks a List of Ethical Principles for Using AI in War

An advisory board is drafting guidelines that may help shape worldwide norms for military artificial intelligence — and woo Silicon Valley to defense work.

Science & Tech

The FBI is Trying Amazon’s Facial-Recognition Software

The software allows the FBI to go through video surveillance footage much faster than agents can.

Policy

Goodbye, Mattis. Goodbye, Syria. Hello, 2019

Dramatic shifts abound as Trump puts US military’s war plans in doubt, Democrats resurge in Congress, and the Pentagon gets a new boss.

Science & Tech

US Spies Want to Know How to Spot Compromised AI

What if you were training an AI, and an adversary slipped a few altered images into its study set?

Science & Tech

The Pentagon Doesn’t Know All the Software on Its Networks—And That’s a Problem

The Defense Department faces “unnecessary” risk without a complete software inventory, according to the agency’s inspector general.

Science & Tech

US Army Narrows Search For Light Tank to Two Companies

General Dynamics and BAE Systems will each build 12 prototypes of an up-to-40-ton armored vehicle.

Science & Tech

Inspectors Find Big Cyber Vulnerabilities in US Missile Defense System

The managers of the nation’s missile defense system aren’t implementing basic cybersecurity practices, according to a new inspector report.

Science & Tech

The US Is Buying Phone Hacking Tools for Ghana’s Police

The State Department wants Ghanaian law enforcement to be able to access Android, Windows, and BlackBerry devices used in transnational crime.

Science & Tech

The Government’s Bioterror-Response Website May Be Leaking Sensitive Data

DHS inspectors and a whistleblower say the site, which would be used to coordinate federal responses to a bioterror attack, isn’t secure.

Science & Tech

How DHS Is Trying to Sort Good Cyber Tools from Snake Oil

The department is investing in ways to do apples-to-apples comparisons of the many cyber products on the market.

Science & Tech

Russia’s New Arctic Drones Are Built to Spot Ships

Its maker says the two aircraft can ID vessels approaching oil and gas facilities from 100 kilometers away.

Science & Tech

Russia Launched Cyber Attacks Against Ukraine Before Ship Seizures, Firm Says

Researchers claim to have uncovered Russian cyber attacks aimed at the Ukrainian military and government before and during the Sea of Azov captures.

Science & Tech

The F-35 Is About to Get A Lot Smarter

A California company is looking to accelerate the Defense Department’s embrace of artificial intelligence, starting with some of its most important aircraft.

Science & Tech

Quantum Computing That Can Crack Modern Encryption More Than a Decade Away

A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine suggests encryption-cracking quantum computers are possible, but won’t be built in the immediate future.

Science & Tech

The US Military Is Genetically Engineering New Life Forms To Detect Enemy Subs

The Pentagon is also looking at living camouflage, self-healing paint, and a variety of other applications of engineered organisms, but the basic science remains a challenge.

Science & Tech

Marines Turn to Artificial Intelligence to Better Deploy Troops

The tool could help top brass determine which battalions and gear are most prepared for battle.