Category: United States Defense and Military Forces

Blinken’s Visit to China: What to Know

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is in China this week as tensions have risen over trade, security, Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Middle East crisis.
Military Surplus Gets a Gen Z Makeover

A new generation of military surplus business owners takes an internet-savvy approach to hyping their merchandise.
The Pentagon Road to Venture Capital

Here is a list of people who have jumped from the Pentagon and other government posts into jobs with venture capitalists that are backing defense technology startups.
Army Ammunition Factory Tied to Mass Shootings Faces New Scrutiny

Lawmakers want to know if taxpayers are subsidizing rounds used in AR-15-style guns that are “contributing to serious violence by private citizens.”
The White House May Condemn Musk, but the Government Is Addicted to Him

Rarely has the U.S. government so depended on the technology provided by a single technologist with views that it has so publicly declared repugnant.
Army Ammunition Plant Is Tied to Mass Shootings Across the U.S.

The site was built for the military, but commercial sales are booming with little public accountability. Rounds have been bought by murderers, antigovernment groups and others.
Tech Start-Ups Try to Sell a Cautious Pentagon on A.I.

Shield AI, a tech start-up, already has a drone run by artificial intelligence being used by the Israeli military. But persuading the Pentagon to embrace the technology remains a big challenge.
Electric Planes, Once a Fantasy, Start to Take to the Skies

How a small cargo plane’s 16-day trip from Vermont to Florida might foreshadow a new era of battery-powered air travel long considered implausible.
Kenneth Force, the ‘Toscanini of Military Marching Bands,’ Dies at 83

Captain Force was part of the pomp and ceremony at 10 presidential inaugurations, and for 45 years he taught midshipmen to revere traditional military music.
Facing Threats, U.S. Navy Struggles to Modernize Its Ships

A new generation of cheaper and more flexible vessels could be vital in any conflict with China, but the Navy remains lashed to big shipbuilding programs driven by tradition, political influence and jobs.
3M Says It Will Pay $6 Billion to Resolve Combat Earplug Lawsuits

The settlement would end years of litigation brought by military service members and veterans who claimed that the earplugs sold by 3M had led to hearing damage and tinnitus.
A.I. Brings the Robot Wingman to Aerial Combat

An Air Force program shows how the Pentagon is starting to embrace the potential of a rapidly emerging technology, with far-reaching implications for war-fighting tactics, military culture and the defense industry.