Ideas

In Somalia, US Air Strikes Rise and Transparency Declines

The 2019 tally is on track to more than double last year’s total.

Science & Tech

The Navy Is Assembling a Hacker Team to Fight Off Small Drones

Engineers, researchers, and hackers will seek ways to protect warships and bases from hobby-type drones modified to kill.

Ideas

Will Kalashnikov's New Drone Be the AK-47 of Indirect Fire?

The company that made assault rifles ubiquitous says its KUB can put a warhead on a miles-distant target.

Threats

How Many Civilians Die in Covert US Drone Strikes? It Just Got Harder to Say

Trump has revoked an Obama-era reporting requirement even as the CIA has resumed lethal strikes.

Science & Tech

Ukraine Is Buying New Combat Drones…From Turkey

The skies over Eastern Ukraine are becoming more crowded as Kiev looks to Ankara for weapons.

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

State Department Relaxing Rules on Transfer on Drone, Chip Technology

The rules will pave the way for 5G cellphones — and even drones that talk to each other in midair.

Ideas

Kentucky Is Turning to Drones to Fix Its Unsolved-Murder Crisis

Only 52 percent of the state’s homicides result in an arrest when the victim is black. Could automating police work help?

Ideas

How to Stop Weaponized Consumer Drones

Have a drone you want removed from the sky? Grab your wallet, some patience, and probably a lawyer — because so far, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

Science & Tech

Ukrainian Armed-Drone Makers Sprint Ahead as Russian Effort Hits Snag

The Ukrainians are eagerly off showing a proposed long-range UAV while uncertainty surrounds Russia’s Altius program.

Ideas

Ep. 21: How to kill a drone; Toward a smarter, cheaper US presence in the Middle East and more.

Welcome to our podcast about the news, strategy, tech, and business trends defining the future of national security.

Science & Tech

It’s Now Possible To Telepathically Communicate with a Drone Swarm

DARPA’s new research in brain-computer interfaces is allowing a pilot to control multiple simulated aircraft at once.

Ideas

Trump’s Secret War on Terror

Drone strikes continue and spread—away from public scrutiny or Congressional oversight.

Threats

America Is Not Ready for Exploding Drones

An apparent assassination attempt in Venezuela shows how technology is moving faster than governments can counter it.

Science & Tech

This Stealthy Drone May Be The Future of Russian Fighter Jets

Russian industry sources called this heavy armed stealth drone a prototype for their sixth-generation aircraft.

Science & Tech

Hacker Caught Selling Maintenance Manuals for Military Drones

A poorly configured router allowed the theft of drone manuals, a list of maintainers, material on the Abrams tank, and more.

Ideas

This Is the Week that the Drone Surveillance State Became Real

Not only do local police now have access to drones, but footage from those flying cameras will be automatically analyzed by AI systems not disclosed to the public.

Ideas

Drone Strikes Expand, Hustling the US Down a Risky Path

It’s time to rethink the tradeoffs between tactical efficiency and strategic risk. A new Stimson Center report lays them out.