August 2019

[ad_1] The head of the Pentagon’s new artificial intelligence center said in an Aug. 30 press conference that the organization is poised for a breakthrough in 2020. Established in June 2018, the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center is an effort to accelerate the Pentagon’s adoption and integration of AI at scale. As a Center of Excellence, Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, JAIC’s director, said the organization was intended to expand beyond product… Read More »The Pentagon’s AI center is poised for a breakthrough

[ad_1] WASHINGTON ― As U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper launches a comprehensive review that promises to cut costs and target legacy programs that drain money from next-generation capabilities, he ought to gird himself for fights with lawmakers, defense industry lobbyists and perhaps the White House. “The idea is to take a hard look at our activities so that everything we do drives towards our strategic objectives, which are designed to… Read More »Esper’s pledge to trim pointless programs will test his political clout

[ad_1] Following the test in the early hours of Aug. 30, the Lockheed Martin-made THAAD has now had 16 successful intercept tests in a row. But the significant milestone is proving the ability to remotely engage the system with a government-developed remote launcher kit. The capability provides extended range of a defended area, an MDA statement notes. “Preliminary indications are that planned flight test objectives were achieved and the target… Read More »In first, MDA remotely launches a missile

[ad_1] MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan’s Defense Ministry has requested a budget of $50.5 billion for its next fiscal year, an increase of 1.2 percent over the previous year and the eighth straight year of an increase. The funds will be used to acquire more Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, including Japan’s first short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing F-35B, as well as increasing its Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker fleet to six aircraft. The bulk of… Read More »Here’s what Japan’s Defense Ministry wants to do with $50.5 billion

[ad_1] WASHINGTON — Dynetics Technical Solutions will be the first to manufacture a set of hypersonic glide body prototypes while Lockheed Martin will serve as the weapon system integrator, according to a U.S. Army announcement. The Other Transaction Authority contract awards mark an important step forward in getting a prototype Army Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) — capable of flying at five times the speed of sound — that will… Read More »Here’s who will build and integrate the first hypersonic weapon system prototype

[ad_1] To say cellphone coverage on the battlefield isn’t reliable is a bit of an understatement. But what if the military could bring a cell tower to the battlefield? Hughes Network Systems announced Aug. 20 a new technology product that it believes can do just that: essentially turn a helicopter into a mobile, airborne cell tower. By integrating LTE technology developed by Virtual Network Communications with the Hughes HeloSat Solution,… Read More »Are helicopters the new cellphone towers?

[ad_1] WARSAW, Poland — By 2026, the Polish Ministry of Defence plans to allocate about 185 billion zloty (U.S. $47 billion) toward acquiring new weapons and military equipment, with fifth-generation fighter jets a top priority. Twenty years after Poland joined NATO, and despite the integration of some Western-made fighter jets and armored vehicles, the country still uses Soviet-designed gear dating back to the 1955 Warsaw Pact. Poland and other allies… Read More »How Poland plans to land an F-35 deal and ‘Fort Trump’

[ad_1] WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has a new combatant command. With a twirl of the pen, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper signed into creation U.S. Space Command, the 11th war-fighting command for the Defense Department. “This is a landmark day, one that recognizes the centrality of space to America’s national security and defense,” President Donald Trump said during the event, held in the Rose Garden of the White House. “It’s… Read More »Newest combatant command signed into existence

[ad_1] COLOGNE, Germany — European defense ministers have thrown their support behind a concept for deploying European Union member nations’ naval forces to protect key shipping lanes, though the idea is not meant to secure traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The plan for a “coordinated maritime presence,” as officials call it, is based on voluntary force contributions from EU states, with assets remaining under national control at all times.… Read More »EU defense chiefs eye ad-hoc, naval security forces — but not for the Hormuz Strait

[ad_1] By last October, the Pentagon’s Vulnerability Disclosure Program had processed thousands of loopholes in the Department of Defense’s websites. Then it received a report from Jack Cable. On Oct. 25, Cable, who worked for the Defense Digital Service and was a freshman at Stanford University, reported a problem to the department through the Pentagon’s HackerOne vulnerability disclosure page. Typically, vulnerabilities sent to the DoD through a disclosure program operated… Read More »How one teenager took out a secure Pentagon file sharing site