Policy

CBO: Space Force Could Cost $3B Up Front, $1.3B Annually

The new independent analysis comes as lawmakers weigh the creation of a new branch of the military.

Ideas

How Not to Announce a Ship Deployment

A simple press conference could have avoided 36 hours of confusion and fears of war with Iran.

Science & Tech

The Pentagon Still Buys Software Like It's 1987

The Defense Innovation Board recently discovered that a 32-year-old report "pretty much said it all."

Ideas

The Pentagon Is Flubbing Its Pitch to Silicon Valley

Appeals to patriotism won’t move America’s tech industry. Other approaches might work better.

Threats

Lawmakers Probe Navy, Marine Corps Plans on Climate Change

Trump’s picks for Chief of Naval Operations and Marine Corps Commandant sailed through their confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Policy

Guantanamo Is Becoming a Nursing Home for Its Aging Terror Suspects

The Pentagon is required to give Gitmo detainees the same medical care as U.S. troops. How's that going to work?

Science & Tech

One Defense Agency is Building a Bot Army

And it's saving the department hundreds of thousands of work hours a year, a defense official said.

Business

Lockheed, Frustrated with US Air Force, Eyes Foreign F-35 Sales

The service’s proposed purchase of Boeing F-15s has the company increasing its sales efforts on Capitol Hill, and elsewhere.

Ideas

All This ‘Innovation’ Won’t Save the Pentagon

The Defense Department, a hierarchy fixated on technology, is unequipped to confront a world of disruptive challenges.

Science & Tech

The Pentagon Is Killing a Key Independent-Research Program

For decades, JASON studies helped DOD and other agencies get outside perspectives on scientific and technical topics.

Policy

Shanahan Touts Unity in Space-Force Pitch, But Disagreements Clearly Remain

It’s a key week for proponents of the Trump administration’s space reorganization — and their detractors.

Policy

Sorry, Florida, Looks Like You’re Not Getting US Space Command

Despite lobbying, Sunshine State left off shortlist for command’s new headquarters.

Policy

Expect Shanahan's Niger-Ambush Review in 'Weeks': Official

A 4-star general will conduct a new review of the 2017 ambush that killed four U.S. troops in Niger.

Ideas

On NATO’s Eastern Frontier, Let’s Not Lose a War Before It Starts

The alliance needs more forces in Poland — and the logistics and enabling capabilities that will allow them to operate effectively.

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

Solving One of the Hardest Problems of Military AI: Trust

There are many gaps, and most won’t be solved by code but by conversation.

Science & Tech

Without JEDI, Pentagon’s AI Efforts May Be Hindered

DOD won’t be able to fully harness AI unless it manages to build — or buy — a national-defense cloud.

Policy

The ‘Day After’ In Syria Finally Came. But What Comes Next?

If U.S. military commanders were unsure of their mission four years ago, it’s even muddier today.