Pentagon
After two-year defense buildup, Pentagon still lags in technology innovation
At the Reagan National Defense Forum and the West Coast Aerospace Forum this weekend, analysts and former defense officials roundly criticized the Pentagon for lacking a solid plan to modernize capabilities in areas where China and Russia are advancing.
On National Security | Space Force invades the midterms
The Space Force that U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to set up could be a dim prospect if Republicans lose control of either the House or Senate when voters go to the polls Nov. 6 for the midterm elections.
On National Security | Red flags, literally, raised on the U.S. defense industrial base
The White House just released a year-long study of the U.S. defense industrial base that was billed as the deepest dive in decades into the state of the nation’s defense industry.
SN Military.Space | Air Force wants new GPS in orbit before year’s end • DoD big on OTAs • Space Force by 2020 a long shot
If all goes as planned, the Air Force should have one new GPS 3 satellite in orbit before the end of 2018.
SN Military.Space | Selling U.S. aerospace overseas amid trade tensions • U.S. Air Force excited about U.K. space • Quantum computing as space weapon
Trump administration officials are at the Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom this week on a mission to sell American aerospace and weapons.
How about a U.S. Space Guard? • DoD steps up AI push amid Google firestorm • DARPA lays groundwork for military LEO constellation
President Trump has floated a Space Force as a separate and equal branch of the military like the the Air Force. Now comes another thought: A Space Guard fashioned after the U.S. Coast Guard.
![“[Project Maven] is not
weaponizing. We are trying to take repetitive tasks that
are routine, like processing of pictures, and automating them,” said U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson, shown above testifying before
the Senate Armed Services Committee in February. Credit: Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith](https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Air-Force-Gen.-Stephen-Wilson-300x230.jpg)
Pentagon ramps up artificial intelligence efforts
The military and intelligence agencies have sought to bring artificial intelligence into areas like data mining and autonomous vehicles. But the demand is outpacing the supply.
Budget addition for WGS resets debate on the future of military space communications
An expansion of the WGS constellation to 12 satellites guarantees that the military will have more of its own satcom capacity and may need less from commercial services, dealing a setback to the industry that has argued for years that it can provide a better value for the money.
On National Security | Missed opportunities in missile defense
The hand-wringing continues at the Pentagon over how to respond to Chinese and Russian missile advances.
Air Force space budget choices under scrutiny; SecAF Wilson explains why SBIRS and JSTARS must go
For those who have been waiting for the Air Force to shake up its space investment portfolio, the budget request for 2019 was as disruptive as can be expected from the military.
SN Military.Space | DoD space budget: Billions for next-gen satellites, launch vehicles; New funding lines for ‘rapid acquisitions’
An initial look at the budget documents released on Monday reveals that spending on space is up only modestly but that priorities appear to be shifting.
SN Military.Space | Vice Chief Selva: With no budget ‘We’re gambling’ – Why it’s hard to defend space – Space industry adapts to changing market
With still no budget four months into fiscal year 2018, the Pentagon is waiting to see where the chips fall. Defense officials are ready to take the FY19 budget proposal up to Capitol Hill but that may prove a tricky bet not knowing what Congress will appropriate for FY18.
SN Military.Space | HASC chairman blasts Congress for ‘immoral’ funding process
In a deal struck Monday, Congress passed its fourth continuing resolution since late September to keep the government funded at last year's levels.
On National Security | Early excitement (and questions) about new Air Force weapons buyer
Recent news about the nomination of Pentagon procurement “disruptor” Will Roper to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition has reverberated across the industry, stirring up speculation about what new ideas he might bring into air and space modernization programs.
Congress demands additional security, backup for military GPS signal
The U.S. military has moved to upgrade GPS spacecraft, control systems on the ground and user terminals with new security features. Fears are growing, however, as Russia’s military and other potential adversaries step up their electronic warfare game and come up with fresh techniques to deny U.S. forces access to positioning, navigation and timing data.
