Science & Tech

The Marines Are Giving Quadcopters to Every Squad

The Corps says new robots, tech, and video games will keep Marines on the tactical edge.

Science & Tech

How Long Did the US Government Know about Spectre and Meltdown?

The largest CPU bug in history caught the Defense Department by surprise. Or not.

Science & Tech

No, the US Won’t Respond to A Cyber Attack with Nukes

Defense leaders won’t completely rule out the possibility. But it’s a very, very, very remote possibility.

Science & Tech

Strava’s Just the Start: The US Military’s Losing War Against Data Leakage

The Defense Department can’t stop the rising river of of digital metadata — or prevent enemies from dipping into it.

Threats

DHS’s New Plan for Refugee Screening Looks a Lot Like TSA PreCheck

Forget bans. Risk-based screening is the new way to vet refugees, and it could be useful for visa applicants as well.

Science & Tech

Chelsea Manning’s Campaign Website is Based in Iceland. Why?

For one thing, it’s harder for U.S. law enforcement to search. That may matter to the Wikileaks contributor-turned-U.S. Senate candidate.

Threats

How Turkey Twisted Three Words Into a Pretext for Invasion

Ankara said a U.S. plan to train some Syrian Kurds was a threat. So it sent tanks and artillery to kill some others.

Science & Tech

The Cost To Put a Microsatellite Constellation Into Space Just Fell Through the Floor

Super-cheap rocket startup hits orbit in new test, demonstrates space maneuvering to deposit satellites.

Threats

What A Nuclear Missile Attack On Hawaii Would Look Like

A blast over Honolulu would be catastrophic. That doesn’t mean the government shouldn’t help the public prepare for one.

Science & Tech

As America’s Nukes and Sensors Get More Connected, the Risk of Cyber Attack Is Growing

Future nuclear weapons will be more sophisticated and better integrated with other equipment. That has benefits and drawbacks.

Policy

Why the President’s FISA Fix Is Bad News For Privacy, Good News for Russian Agents

Early-morning tweets revealed Trump’s complicated relationship with various spying rules.

Science & Tech

Tomorrow's Cargo Drones Won't Look Much Like Today's Helicopters

Boeing unveils a squarish, skeletal quadcopter to try out new unmanned-delivery concepts.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Seeks Laser-Powered Bat Drones. Really.

A new contest seeks flight systems inspired by Mother Nature and powered by directed-energy beams.

Science & Tech

Iran’s Cyber War on Dissidents Could Infiltrate Your Mailbox

Tehran’s agents are busily working against the protesters — and anyone who may have contacted them from abroad.

Ideas

Where We're Headed in 2018

You can bet there will be new crises, weapons, leaders, and technologies to come. And, oh yes, there will be tweets.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Launches New Push For Tunnel-Warfare Tech

As potential adversaries build out sophisticated underground complexes, the U.S. military will try to keep up by going down.

Threats

The Desperate Push To Get Ukrainian POWs Home by Christmas

Kiev wants to send hundreds of captured war prisoners home to Russian-controlled areas. But not everyone wants to go back.

Policy

New National Security Strategy Sees Rising Russia, Retreat on 'Democratic Peace'

Donald Trump’s first strategy talks about threats and nation-state competition but also signals a reluctance to compete philosophically or morally.

Science & Tech

Russia, N. Korea Eye Bitcoin for Money Laundering, Putting It on a Crash Course with Regulators

Thieves and sanctioned countries are targeting the digital currency’s exchanges, setting up a fight between governments and cryptocurrency powerhouses.