Policy

NIST sets up new task force on AI and national security

The Testing Risks of AI for National Security Taskforce will bring federal expertise to test artificial intelligence models in critical use cases.

Policy

DHS releases guidance for AI in critical infrastructure

The Department of Homeland Security worked with its diverse AI Safety and Security Board to develop a holistic approach for securing critical infrastructure that leverages AI technologies.

Defense Systems

Maxar’s working on a 3D-mapping tool to replace GPS

The plan is to test and have it ready for use next year, officials said.

Defense Systems

Who tells satellites where to take pictures? Increasingly, it’ll be robots, Maxar says

Automated scans of low-res imagery will cue high-res passes, while simulations will help manage ever-growing queues for service.

Policy

White House issues AI guidelines for national-security agencies

The new memo requires agencies to monitor, assess, and mitigate AI risks related to invasions of privacy, bias, and other human rights abuses.

Ideas

How to do autonomous flight right

Too many companies are trying to take shortcuts. The Pentagon needs to push back.

Science & Tech

New AI-powered strike drone shows how quickly battlefield autonomy is evolving

First-person drone piloting is yesterday’s news. Drones are becoming smarter as the electronic environment around them makes operator communication more difficult.

Science & Tech

Is ‘Big AI’ beating 'small AI'—and what does it mean for the military?

Efforts to build giant, power-hungry models may be squeezing out the kind of computing-at-the-edge projects the military actually needs.

Science & Tech

China's satellites are dodging US eyes in space

The Pentagon doesn't post location data for its secretive GSSAP satellites, but Chinese spacecraft are maneuvering to avoid their gaze.

Threats

Dueling robot wingmen take the stage

Questions of survivability, missions, and sustainment of CCAs still linger.

Ideas

China claims breakthroughs in autonomous vehicles

If Chinese companies succeed in solidifying their dominance of the autonomous vehicle and LiDAR markets, the security implications are profound.

Science & Tech

Special operators hope AI can reduce civilian deaths in combat

Automation could eventually turn “trigger-pullers into the experts that can do this,” one official said.

Threats

INDOPACOM wants more special operators in the Pacific

“SOF’s greatest power is early leverage” in deterring conflict, Adm. Sam Paparo said.

Science & Tech

Two programs suggest the Pentagon is getting better at buying technology

The Maven and Collaborative Combat Aircraft efforts display real steps forward, a pair of reports say.

Threats

Tomorrow’s soldiers may breach minefields with robots made from decades-old APCs

On Thursday, the Army test-fired a Mine Clearing Line Charge from a specially rigged M113 personnel carrier.

Defense Systems

More than 7,000 NSA analysts are using generative AI tools, director says

The signals-intelligence agency has about 170 AI-related projects in the works, including 10 of the highest priority.

Threats

Five firms—don’t ask who—will vie to make brains for USAF robot wingmen

The Air Force, which is keeping the names under wraps, will pick a winner in time for 2026 production.

Science & Tech

Senators seek to advance AI capabilities at national labs

Proposed legislation looks to give the U.S. national laboratories a strong artificial intelligence infrastructure while acknowledging associated risks.