Defense

Factbox: What happens in a U.S. government shutdown?

By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker, Reuters

In shutdowns, nonessential government employees are furloughed, or placed on temporary unpaid leave. Workers deemed essential, including those dealing with public safety and national security, keep...
The Mysterious Threat to Pilots That the Pentagon Can’t Solve

By Ciro Scotti

Episodes of oxygen deprivation affecting the pilots of F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet — and other military aircraft including the F-35 — are on the rise and remain an unsolved mystery.
What Game Theory Tells Us About Trump’s ‘Madman’ Approach to North Korea

By Rob Garver

Is Donald Trump out of his mind? Maybe he wants North Korea to think so.
Does the Army’s $580 Million Handgun Have a Fatal Flaw?

By Ciro Scotti

Last January, the Army made a $580 million decision: It would replace its longstanding sidearm, the M9 Beretta, with a new modular handgun made by the U.S. arm of the German-controlled gunsmith Sig...
Why the Escalating Threats Between Trump and Kim Won’t End in War

By Patrick Smith

The supercharged threats volleyed between President Trump and Kim Jong Un this week bring us closer to war with the North Korea than at any time since Pyongyang tested its first nuclear device in...

Here’s the Real State of the $1 Trillion U.S. Nuclear Upgrade

By David Francis

The American nuclear arsenal is just about the same as it was when Trump took office.
Here’s Why North Korea Put Guam in Its Crosshairs

By David Francis

Hours after President Donald Trump threatened North Korea with fire and fury like the world has never known, Pyongyang announced it is "examining the operational plan" to attack Guam, a tiny U.S...
Why the Price of the F-35 Keeps Soaring

By Ciro Scotti

The most costly fighter ever built is getting even more expensive. A new General Accounting Office report says the Pentagon will spend an additional $3.9 billion over the next five years on “...
The Media Has to Stop Provoking Trump’s Worst Instincts

By Rob Garver

For a man constantly boasting about his extraordinary negotiating prowess, President Trump made a pretty obvious rookie mistake on Tuesday, with his apocalyptic-sounding promise to deliver “fire and...
Five Things You Need to Know About Plans to Privatize the Afghan War

By David Francis

The White House is actively considering a plan to turn a big chunk of the war in Afghanistan over to private contractors. That’s according to Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater security firm, who...

The F-35 Gets a Big Win as Israel Scores $38 Billion in US Military Aid

By Eric Pianin

The United States signed off Wednesday on a record $38 billion, 10-year military assistance pact with Israel that has major implications for the troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Since 2006...
Kremlin Pushes Back as DNC Blames Latest Hack on Trump-Friendly Russia

By Rob Garver

As the Democratic Party scrambles to assess the potential impact of another trove of internal documents leaked by the hacking entity calling itself “Guccifer 2.0,” the Democratic National Committee...
Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan Have Cost the US Nearly $5 Trillion

By Ciro Scotti

Almost 7,000 U.S. troops have been killed since the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq began, and about 210,000 civilians in those two countries and Pakistan have lost their lives as a result of the...
This Tiny Drone Could Transform Urban Warfare

By Patrick Tucker, Defense One

In the movie Eye in the Sky, a joint U.S.-British military operation puts an insect-sized drone inside the house of a terrorist. The live feed allows the onlookers in Washington, London, and...
How Terrorists Could Hijack the Internet of Things

By Patrick Tucker, Defense One

By 2020, there will be anywhere from 20 billion to 50 billion internet-connected devices, including about one in five cars and or trucks, according to industry forecasts. That’s big business for...

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