Pentagon Ramps Up Civilian Hiring; Other Agencies Get Cut

Pentagon Ramps Up Civilian Hiring; Other Agencies Get Cut
Pentagon Ramps Up Civilian Hiring; Other Agencies Get Cut

Given the two-year break from sequestration, the Pentagon is hurrying up to hire civilians to push the modernization of the force to head off advances by China and Russia, a new DoD strategy document says.

USAF Announces Major New Hypersonic Weapon Contract

USAF Announces Major New Hypersonic Weapon Contract
USAF Announces Major New Hypersonic Weapon Contract

The Pentagon is moving out quickly amid worries that China has outpaced U.S. capabilities in hypersonic weapons development.

All Systems Were GO! SpaceX’s Big Falcon Heavy

All Systems Were GO! SpaceX’s Big Falcon Heavy
All Systems Were GO! SpaceX’s Big Falcon Heavy

WASHINGTON: No lives were on the line. It wasn’t lofting a billion dollar spy satellite. But the SpaceX Falcon Heavy test launch demonstrated today that the world’s largest rocket system worked largely as planned. And, as one observer noted, the entire system was built for commercial reasons alone; no government agency crafted a requirement saying…

Our Artificial Intelligence ‘Sputnik Moment’ Is Now: Eric Schmidt & Bob Work

Our Artificial Intelligence ‘Sputnik Moment’ Is Now: Eric Schmidt & Bob Work
Our Artificial Intelligence ‘Sputnik Moment’ Is Now: Eric Schmidt & Bob Work

WASHINGTON: When former Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work heard the head of Google’s parent company, Eric Schmidt, say this morning that America needs a national strategy for developing Artificial Intelligence, one image sprang to his mind’s eye. “The image that popped into my mind was of Nikita Khrushchev banging his shoe in the UN and…

‘Landmark Event’ In Artificial Intelligence: DeepMind Trains Itself

‘Landmark Event’ In Artificial Intelligence: DeepMind Trains Itself
‘Landmark Event’ In Artificial Intelligence: DeepMind Trains Itself

WASHINGTON: When a computer system defeated one of the greatest masters of the complex game known as Go last year, the world gasped. Experts had said months before that such an event would not occur in their lifetimes. Last night, the magazine Nature published an article by DeepMind, the Google company behind that breakthrough, claiming…

Info Ops Officer Offers Artificial Intelligence Roadmap

Info Ops Officer Offers Artificial Intelligence Roadmap
Info Ops Officer Offers Artificial Intelligence Roadmap

Artificial intelligence, machine learning and autonomy are central to the future of American war. In particular, the Pentagon wants to develop software that can absorb more information from more sources than a human can, analyze it and either advise the human how to respond or — in high-speed situations like cyber warfare and missile defense — act on…

The War Algorithm: The Pentagon’s Bet On The Future Of War

The War Algorithm: The Pentagon’s Bet On The Future Of War
The War Algorithm: The Pentagon’s Bet On The Future Of War

Thinking about robots and war often brings to mind HAL, the apparently well-meaning but ultimately destructive computer in 2001, or the metallic creatures of death in the Terminator series. Today, however, the Pentagon wants to push the concept in a different direction. With advanced adversaries like Russia and China copying the smart weapons, stealth fighters, and…

Pentagon Study Urges ‘Immediate Action’ On Thinking Weapons; VCJCS Selva Cautious

WASHINGTON: Should the United States build physical and cyber Terminators, weapons that do not have a human in the loop? The unequivocal answer from the prestigious Defense Science Board is yes. “This study concluded that DoD must accelerate its exploitation of autonomy—both to realize the potential military value and to remain ahead of adversaries who also…

Artificial Intelligence Drone Defeats Fighter Pilot: The Future?

Artificial Intelligence Drone Defeats Fighter Pilot: The Future?
Artificial Intelligence Drone Defeats Fighter Pilot: The Future?

In an intriguing paper certain to catch the eye of senior Pentagon officials, a company claims that an artificial intelligence program it designed allowed drones to repeatedly and convincingly “defeat” a human pilot in simulations in a test done with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL). A highly experienced former Air Force battle manager, Gene Lee, tried repeatedly…