Science & Tech

Why Didn’t the US Shoot Down That North Korean Missile?

The military’s record of hitting intermediate-range missiles is less than perfect. That makes the decision to attempt an intercept much harder.

Science & Tech

Look for Military Drones to Begin Replacing Police Helicopters by 2025

General Atomics is working hard to put a close cousin of its Reaper anti-terrorism drone in the hands of local law enforcement.

Threats

Are ‘Restrictions’ Keeping Us From Winning in Afghanistan?

An Army intelligence expert and retired special forces warrior lay out what red tape the President should cut in Afghanistan.

Science & Tech

Drones Will Help Protect Guam From North Korean Missiles

A June 2016 test showed that drones can track missiles, promising better protection for forces and allies under threat of a North Korean missile strike.

Science & Tech

What the Announced NSA / Cyber Command Split Means

Cyberwar and cyber intelligence are diverging, as are Cyber Command and the NSA. Here’s what that means for the man who leads both entities, the future of signals intelligence collection, and cyberwarfare.

Threats

Armed Militias Won’t Stop After Charlottesville, and That Worries Law Enforcement

The presence of armed, right-wing militia at political events is becoming more common.

Threats

ISIS Says Secret Weapons Await Coalition Forces In Battle for Raqqa

The terror group makes some big claims about its homegrown arsenal in the latest issue of its online magazine.

Science & Tech

AI Will Make Fake News Video — and Fight It As Well

Just weeks after one research team appeared to put words in a leader’s mouth, here comes a new tool that can check questionable video for a pulse.

Science & Tech

US Military Eyes New Mini-Nukes for 21st-Century Deterrence

The Joint Chiefs’ vice chair says smaller-yield weapons are needed to deter the use of same.

Science & Tech

The US Navy’s Railgun Breakthrough Could Change Energy Storage

New capacitors offer big power storage and transmission in a mini-package, with benefits beyond electro-cannons.

Science & Tech

US Army Boosts Spending on Genetically Engineered Spider Silk for Body Armor, Underwear

What’s almost as tough as Kevlar, as flexible as silk, has the DNA of a spider but comes from a worm? Something the Army is looking to buy for as much as $1 million.

Threats

North Korea's Latest Launch Spurs U.S. Missile Tests, Flyovers

The United States has been ramping up exercises and diplomatic moves in response to worrying new developments out of Pyongyang.

Threats

Flow of Foreign Fighters to ISIS Stopped, Trump Tactics Working, McGurk Says

In four key areas, the Trump administration is taking the fight to ISIS in a way that Obama did not, to great effect according to the policy head who worked under both.

Science & Tech

US Air Force Wants Robots Watching Twitter

Tomorrow’s operations will be shaped by automated analysis of the world’s open-source data, says the service’s chief of staff.

Science & Tech

Forget Radio Silence. Tomorrow’s Soldiers Will Move Under Cover of Electronic Noise

The Army’s doctrine chief says it’s self-defeating to switch off the networks that enable U.S. military superiority.

Science & Tech

3D-Printed Gun Designs Are Selling for $12 on the Dark Web

A new report shows just how easy it is becoming to download designs for difficult-to-trace arms.

Science & Tech

US Army Seeks Internet-of-Battlefield-Things, Distributed Bot Swarms

After nearly two decades of war against technologically unsophisticated foes, the Army Research Lab is reorienting to counter China and Russia.

Science & Tech

Facial Recognition Coming to Police Body Cameras

An approach to machine learning inspired by the human brain is about to revolutionize street search.

Science & Tech

Russian Weapons Maker To Build AI-Directed Guns

Kalashnikov’s upcoming product shows how the US and Russia are on wildly different paths to autonomy.

Science & Tech

Tomorrow Soldier: How The Military Is Altering the Limits of Human Performance

Breakthroughs in biometric science mean future troops will fight with weapons that understand them — inside and out.