Science & Tech

2021 Top Ten: Tech

Along with AI and JADC2, the year's top tech stories include the Army's December announcement of a vaccine that covers all possible COVID variants.

Threats

2021 Top Ten: Air Force

The emergency evacuation from Kabul, unprecedented in scope and speed, was the operational highlight of the year.

Ideas

China’s PLA Is a Peasant Army No More

The Pentagon cannot hope to prevail merely by outspending Beijing.

Policy

Chinese Firms Targeted by New Biden Orders Meant to Curb Fentanyl, Synthetic Drugs

Deaths from fentanyl, which is largely produced in China, have overtaken heroin overdoses in the United States.

Ideas

Don't Buy China's Hypersonic Head-Fake. Its Spaceplanes Are Racing Ahead.

In the past five years, China’s spaceplane development has accelerated, adding breakthroughs, tests, and new industry players.

Ideas

Nuclear Command-and-Control Satellites Should Be Off Limits

Blowing up some satellites causes problems. Blowing up these could cause nuclear war.

Ideas

Defense One Radio, Ep. 93: Outlook 2022

We continue our look-ahead to next year, featuring interviews with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, and more.

Threats

Calls Grow Urgent for Improving Guam’s Missile Defenses

“The threat to Guam will only increase over the next five years,” says INDOPACOM’s No. 2.

Science & Tech

How China Is Challenging US Central Command, Digitally

The Pentagon may have “CENTCOM fatigue,” but Beijing is pushing into the Middle East, warns the command’s communications chief.

Ideas

Defense One Radio, Ep. 92: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

Defense One's Tara Copp sat down with the SecDef as part of the Outlook 2022 event series.

Policy

Austin Rejects ‘Red Lines’ for Taiwan, Ukraine

As crises loom, defense secretary reveals a bit of his diplomacy-first thinking.

Science & Tech

‘Slow-Boil Crisis’: DIA Needs More Capability to Track Russian, Chinese Tech Work

It takes years to train intelligence analysts, but the Pentagon doesn’t have “that kind of time.”

Policy

Austin Warns Against Over-Hyping Recent Chinese Weapons Tests

The defense secretary also pushed for deeper ties between the Pentagon and technology firms.

Science & Tech

China Wants to Write the Tech Rules for 5G. Experts Say That’s a Big Problem

Beijing is stacking international standards bodies with factions that care more about national loyalty than sound practice, experts say.