Russia again flexed its muscle in space by testing a direct-ascent anti-satellite weapon on April 15, drawing criticism from U.S. Space Command. “Russia’s DA-ASAT test provides yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious, and growing,” SPACECOM boss ...
The Pentagon has taken some positive steps to keep out cyberattacks, but it’s unclear how consistently those measures are enforced across the vast department, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. “As DOD has become increasingly reliant on IT systems and networks to conduct ...
Foreign countries are boosting their investments in “gray zone” weapons that can confuse and disable satellites, are harder to attribute to a specific attacker, and fall below the level of overt war, posing regulatory challenges, according to a new report from the Center for Strategic ...
Miniature nuclear power units that could either provide emergency electricity for domestic bases or power for units deployed to austere locations are under development, Pentagon acquisition and sustainment chief Ellen Lord told reporters March 4. “We’re looking at small, modular nuclear reactors,” Lord said at ...
The Air Force is using its first information warfare cell to support cyber operations, part of a new approach to digital, “gray zone” combat. The IW cell brings together experts in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; electronic warfare; cyber; information operations; and public affairs, according to ...
The Pentagon's fiscal 2021 budget request increases spending on nuclear modernization, space, cyberspace, and multi-domain operations in preparation for great power competition, while reducing overseas contingency operations funding for the wars in the Middle East. The Pentagon's total request is for $705.4 billion, including $636.4 ...
A health of the defense industrial base was given a grade of "C" by the National Defense Industrial Association in a report released Feb. 5. The NDIA says the report will be issued annually to gauge whether the industrial base is able to surge at ...
The F-35 fleet is safe to fly, despite an under-strength fastener problem potentially affecting nearly all F-35s, Pentagon acquisition and sustainment chief Ellen Lord said during a Jan. 31 press conference. A root cause analysis continues, but the Pentagon has "confidence in the integrity" of ...
The US government needs to take a closer look at what could deter a war with China as the Pentagon shifts its focus to security in the Indo-Pacific region and competition between world powers, defense experts told House lawmakers Jan. 15. Modern deterrence theory is ...
The Air Force’s science advisers in 2020 will launch three studies on future communications, innovation in space, and the unintended consequences of using autonomous systems, the results of which will shape the service’s research investments. Service Secretary Barbara Barrett tasked the Air Force Scientific Advisory ...
The cyberattacks from Iran widely anticipated as a response to the US targeted killing of one of their top generals have not materialized—at least not so far. Cyber is just one weapon in Tehran’s asymmetric arsenal, alongside its proxy terror networks and misinformation machine, and ...
A leading congressional voice on cybersecurity said Jan. 7 the federal government is taking the right steps to prepare for a possible Iranian cyberattack in retaliation for Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani’s death. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) discussed their ...