China’s Theft & Espionage: What Must Be Done
Screening Chinese students and academics isn't the solution when less than one percent of them are bad actors. So what will work?
Should We Ban ‘Killer Robots’? Can We?
The Pentagon insists it doesn't want them. But could a global ban really rein in Russia or China?
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Data overload threatens decisionmakers as autonomy expands
Reducing cognitive overload on warfighters while improving “time to trust” for autonomous systems is a matter of design.
New UN Guidelines For Space Sustainability Are A Big Deal
You probably don't know it, but in early February 87 countries agreed to voluntary guidelines to enhance the long-term sustainability of the space domain, a significant achievement in space diplomacy. Given that it took eight years to reach this agreement on a set of non-legally binding measures that largely reaffirm existing practices, it is not surprising that it was not widely covered in the news. But it matters.
After Mosul: Iraq’s Arab Neighbors Must Help Rebuild
On July 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, pulling on the same black uniform and jacket that Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces wore throughout the battle for Mosul, declared the final liberation of the city from Daesh’s (aka ISIL) control. “I announce from here the end and the failure and the collapse of the terrorist state […]
Chinese Ambassador Blasts South China Sea Tribunal
WASHINGTON: After a UN tribunal ruled stingingly against Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, Beijing reacted with its characteristically prickly mix of grandiosity and insecurity. The official Chinese perspective inverts Washington’s worldview so thoroughly it can be hard for Americans to understand: International rules are rigged, US military presence is destabilizing, China rightfully […]
Arab Spring To Paris Fall: A Strategic Shift in the Works
President Francois Hollande of France arrives Tuesday in Washington for talks with President Obama. Top of the list will be how much America is willing to commit to destroying Daesh, the terrorist group we used to call ISIL. Robbin Laird, Ed Timperlake and Harald Malmgren explore in detail what America’s options are, what France wants and […]
The state of play in military space
The military space sector is evolving fast. Get the latest from Space Force and industry officials on what’s next for acquisition, policy and training in a new Breaking Defense eBook.
‘Landmark’ Space Policy Shift As China, Others Agree To Space Code of Conduct Talks
WASHINGTON: After years of grudging refusal to do much more than discuss the possibility of talks on a space code of conduct, China has begun discussions on a multilateral code as part of a larger UN effort, as well as committed to specific goals known in the trade as “transparency and confidence-building measures” (TCBMs). “It is […]
Deploy U.S. Diplomats Quietly To Explore Iranian Deal
WASHINGTON: With battle lines drawn in the confrontation with Iran, the United States desperately needs an opening, a line of communication. Everyone seems to agree that the crisis over Iran’s nuclear ambitions is fed at least in part by a lack of understanding between the United States and the Islamic Republic, two states which have […]