Artificial intelligence developed to hunt terrorists can help track Russian and Chinese targets as well – especially amidst murky, chaotic conflicts in the “grey zone” between peace and open war.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.“[T]here is a difference in how aggressively the Navy is pursuing JADC2 compared to the Army and Air Force,” Bryan Clark, Navy expert at the Hudson Institute, says.
By Theresa HitchensThe US military is rolling out AI-enabled projects like the Air Force’s Airborne Battle Management System or the Army’s Project Convergence. But the novelty of these demonstrations and the effort required to pull them off suggest that—unlike Silicon Valley—DoD is struggling to incorporate AI into its combat systems, aircraft, ships, and other equipment. DoD promulgated an…
By Bryan Clark and Dan Patt“We don’t have 20 years to do this,” said Rep. Rob Wittman. “We need to be modernizing our yards now…the upgrades need to be done at a faster pace.”
By Paul McLearyAcquisition chief Will Roper wants to replicate the rapid-fire development of new fighter jets in the 1950s. He should focus on new drones instead.
By Bryan Clark and Dan PattOffensive missiles are much cheaper than missile defenses. So is the best defense a good offense?
By Colin ClarkWASHINGTON: One of the most controversial new weapons in the US arsenal, the Long Range Standoff cruise missile (LRSO), meant to replace the Air Launched Cruise Missile, came under direct fire by a top Senate defense and intelligence lawmaker, Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The senior California senator holds seats both on the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee…
By Colin ClarkWASHINGTON: “I guess I’m going to have to attack your question on almost every aspect,” Adm. John Richardson told me. As an analyst, it’s unnerving to have the Navy’s top admiral tell you to your face, albeit politely, that you’re just plain wrong. (I’d politely disagree, though I did miss some important nuances in an earlier story). I had asked…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON: The high-cost, high-controversy centerpieces for the future Navy fleet — the Ford-class aircraft carrier and the F-35C fighter — not only take it in the wrong direction, says a report out today. They double down on a strategic mistake made 20 years ago, when the Navy shortchanged range, argues Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain now…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.UPDATE with Forbes statement WASHINGTON: At $4.7 billion over budget, Ford-class aircraft carriers have taken a beating in Congress. This morning, though, the House Seapower subcommittee chairman will roll out a report from the conservative Hudson Institute that’s a ringing defense of the carrier — but which also contains a stinging indictment of the aircraft that fly…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.CAPITOL HILL: Take my mission — please. The armed services are notorious for overselling their capabilities and grabbing turf to justify budgets. But when it comes to ballistic missile defense, the Navy feels so overburdened that it is talking up land-based alternatives as superior to its vaunted Aegis ships. [Click here for Part I of this…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Instead of throwing subsidies around indiscriminately, the authors argue, the US government needs to invest only in crucial new technologies while crafting policy incentives to shift industry behavior.
By Bryan Clark and Dan Patt