The difference between artificial intelligence and machine learning and why it matters
A Breaking Defense webinar with experts from CDAO, APL, and CNAS gets into the question of defining artificial intelligence vs machine learning.
The case for an immediate, US-led, stabilization mission in Gaza
Without a multi-national force plan to provide aid and security to the vulnerable Palestinian population, the IDF will be unsuccessful in dismantling Hamas, argues Jonathan Lord of CNAS.
White House AI exec order raises questions on future of DoD innovation
"What's really going to matter is how these various departments and agencies actually start building the rules and interpreting the guidance that they received in the executive order," Klon Kitchen of Beacon Global Strategies told Breaking Defense.
With ITAR reform, ‘culture change’ will be key to AUKUS, says Australia’s Chief Defense Scientist
“I've had up close and personal experience where [US] leaders responsible for certain areas of technology have given direction that [Australia] is to be brought in because we have something to offer,” said Tanya Monro, “and yet, it still gets strangled.”
McMaster: Russian Info Ops Major Focus Of New National Security Strategy
WASHINGTON: Fact. China controls 90 percent of the world’s trade with North Korea. When President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar a Lago club there was, “frank recognition that China does have a great deal of control — a great deal of control over that situation, mainly through the coercive power […]
Chinese Missiles Can Wipe Out US Bases In Japan: Aegis, THAAD Can Stop Em
WASHINGTON: A Chinese surprise attack tomorrow could annihilate US forces and bases in Japan, two Navy officers found. But deploying more missile defenses — Army THAAD and Navy Aegis — would protect most targets north of Okinawa, Commanders Thomas Shugart and Javier Gonzalez found in simulations. Such a stronger defense, in turn, would reduce the […]
Navy Must Boost Carrier Air Wings’ Range, Size & Lethality
Paris Air Show attendees take note. The Navy needs more new strike fighters to cope with falling readiness rates. Will they be Super Hornets, F-35s or Block III Super Hornets? What mix does the US Navy need as it grapples with boosting the size of the fleet to 355 ships? And what about the MQ-25 […]
Artificial Stupidity: Fumbling The Handoff From AI To Human Control
Science fiction taught us to fear smart machines we can’t control. But reality should teach us to fear smart machines that need us to take control when we’re not ready. From Patriot missiles to Tesla cars to Airbus jets, automated systems have killed human beings, not out of malice, but because the humans operating them […]
Aircraft Carrier: The Nation’s Trump Card Reborn
The usefulness of the aircraft carrier, long the centerpiece of American naval power in the world, was in serious question, even by me, one year ago. Chronic underfunding, poor strategic assumptions and bad acquisition decisions had left the carrier defensively unprotected and offensively underpowered as its airwing both shrank in size and striking range. President Trump’s election and […]
McCain’s Excellent White Paper: Smaller Carriers, High-Low Weapons Mix, Frigates, Cheap Fighters
Sen. John McCain issued a provocative and comprehensive alternative budget for the Pentagon on Monday, Restoring American Power: Recommendations for the FY 2018-FY 2022 Defense Budget. Jerry Hendrix, a strategy and naval expert at the Center for New American Security, crunched the numbers from McCain’s White Paper and authored this analysis for our readers. Read […]
Marines Seek To Outnumber Enemies With Robots
PENTAGON CITY: Since World War II, the US military has always expected to fight outnumbered. Soon, however, expendable unmanned systems may change that. For the first time in 70 years, America could have numbers on its side. That turns traditional assumptions about tactics, technology, and budgets upside down. “It does flip things,” said Lt. Gen. […]
Day One: Next Prez Must Be Ready For Crisis
WASHINGTON: Whoever is elected the next president of the United States must stand ready for crisis to strike “at 12:01 on January 20th,” the Secretary of the Navy warned today, lest America’s adversaries see a window of opportunity. What Ray Mabus and his fellow service secretaries didn’t say, at least out loud, speaks volumes. With Russia meddling in […]
New Threats Spark DoD Spending Debate: Thinktanks Ponder $2 Trillion In Options
WASHINGTON: If you were hoping, after a bitterly contentious presidential campaign, that at least we’d have consensus on national defense spending…tough luck. Instead, teams from five leading thinktanks — spanning the political spectrum but all using the same budget simulator — came up with a more than $2 trillion spread of options. They debated their plans […]
UN Ruling Won’t End South China Sea Dispute: Navy Studies Next Clash
A UN tribunal ruling could trigger the next round of brinksmanship in the South China Sea as early as next week. But don’t expect the ruling to end the dispute, especially since the Chinese have already vowed to ignore an adverse ruling. “It’s…not likely to be resolved this year or by one international ruling, no matter how brilliant […]
SecDef Carter Unveils DIUX 2.0; Cans Current Leadership
SILICON VALLEY: Defense Secretary Ash Carter changed the leadership today of his flagship office trying to improve relations with entrepreneurs and major companies here. At the same time, Carter reorganized the Defense Innovation Unit (Experimental) — DIU(X) — to link it directly to his office, largely bypassing the traditional Pentagon acquisition system. In a prepared statement […]