Digital Government

Ashton Carter, Innovative DOD Secretary, Dies at 68

As secretary of defense during the Obama administration he pushed policies to modernize how DOD buys technology as well as opening the door to women and transgender people to serve in the military more fully.

Emerging Tech

Challenges in the Space Domain are Becoming ‘More Technologically Focused,’ Experts Say

Panelists at a PSC Defense conference noted that “space is now a contested domain” with increasing technological and competitive challenges.

Ideas

Exoskeleton Boot Steps Into the Real World Without a Tether

The exoskeleton makes use of machine learning to provide personalized thrust.

Artificial Intelligence

Defense Department Looks to Update AI Workforce Contract

According to the request for information, the DOD sees potential improvement in how it supplements its workforce with industry experts.

Artificial Intelligence

The Army Can Predict When Some Leaders Are at Risk of Misconduct

And they’re using targeted counseling to intervene before those high-risk periods begin.

Emerging Tech

Pentagon Must Harness Commercial Tech to Deter China in Taiwan Strait, Former Officials Say

The Defense Department’s national defense strategy includes investments to deter China’s global ambitions, but a lag in implementation provides opportunity for Beijing to invade Taiwan.

Emerging Tech

Army Climate Plan Relies on Technology That Doesn’t Exist Yet

The most “complex” aspect of the implementation plan is “building a force to operate in the future that still has to operate in the present,” officials said.

Digital Government

State Department Names DOD Official as New CIO

Kelly Fletcher will serve as the new chief information officer for the Department of State after her tenure at the Department of Defense.

Digital Government

Oversight of DOD Special Operations Forces Requires Better Data, Watchdog Says

Current data collected by U.S. Special Operations Command lacked both consistency and transparency, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Digital Government

DISA’s Sweeping New Plan Takes Aim at Data Silos, Mistagged Info

The Pentagon’s IT agency has policy and culture ideas to encourage freer, more secure info-sharing.

Digital Government

The Pentagon’s Watchdog Is Taking a Closer Look at Defense’s Records Management and Device Use After Missing Jan. 6 Texts

The acting inspector general shared information about the review in response to a letter from a top senator expressing concerns about handling of messages related to the Capitol insurrection. 

Emerging Tech

Lockheed Martin, Verizon Demonstrate Capabilities of 5G-Enabled Drones for DOD

Recent tests showcase how multiple drones can conduct real-time transfers of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data to geolocate military targets.

Emerging Tech

NASA’s DART Mission Hits Asteroid

For the mission, NASA attempted to move an asteroid in space as part of the agency’s planetary defense strategy.

Artificial Intelligence

The U.S. Military Is Buying Electric Jet-ski Robots

Tests will see whether battery-powered personal watercraft can help with search-and-rescue

Cybersecurity

DOD’s Digital Threats Are Increasingly Interconnecting, Watchdog Warns

GAO identified six areas that require more oversight, as Defense warfighting operations and national security increasingly hinge on data security.

Cybersecurity

FCC Adds China-linked Telecom Providers to List of National Security Threats

The departments of Defense and Justice want the agency to take a more comprehensive approach to preventing foreign adversaries from accessing Americans’ communications and data.

Policy

Climate Change Poses Threat to U.S. National Security, GAO Says

The Government Accountability Office said federal agencies need to “increase their resilience” to climate risks that endanger technologies like radar sites and the electric grid. 

Emerging Tech

The Air Force Has A Plan To #Fixourcomputers and More

After airman complaints go viral, USAF CIO promises to make the service’s IT more generally reliable and capable.