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Defense Spending

Cold War 2.0 Will Be Won by Private Capital

The next Arsenal of Democracy will be built as much by investors, entrepreneurs, and operators as by government.Cold War 2.0 is not coming, it’s [...] More

The Latest

From Secrets to Sensors: Why Open Source Data Must Drive Modern Intelligence

THE BLUF / COLUMN — The Department of Defense is on a tear to revamp technology for warfighters. Secretary Hegseth signed an AI strategy on 9 [...] More

Despite the Shutdown, Pentagon Has Billions from the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act'

“The [Defense] Department [DoD] will continue to defend the nation and conduct ongoing military operations. It will continue activities funded with [...] More

Where Senate Appropriators are Steering Defense Dollars

“The {Senate Appropriations] Committee recommends increases for [fiscal 2026 Defense Department (DoD)] programs and initiatives that are oriented to [...] More

The Neoprime Club: Silicon Valley and The Rise of Defense Disruptors

Today, after a post-9/11 era defined by global counterterrorism and asymmetric warfare, the U.S. is preparing for potential near-peer conflicts amid [...] More

The Math Behind Trump's $1 Trillion Defense Budget

“The President's FY ‘26 [Fiscal Year 2026] National Defense Budget requests $1.01 trillion, which is a 13 percent increase from FY '25 enacted [as [...] More

NATO Lures Trump Back - at a Cost

NATO Lures Trump Back - at a Cost

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – The stakes at this week’s NATO summit were sky-high – support for Ukraine, a shoring up of Europe’s defenses, and the [...] More

The Senate Drives a Nuclear Spending Spree

“America’s defense strategy and strategic posture must change in order to properly defend its vital interests and improve strategic stability with [...] More

What are we Getting for Record Defense Spending?

OPINION — Next year’s national defense spending — for the Defense Department, the Department of Energy [for nuclear weapons] and other security [...] More

<p>Chinese CH-5 Drone</p>

Will China Start Selling the 'AK-47' of Drones?

From the time of the first kinetic strike by an unmanned aircraft in October of 2001, the United States has relied heavily on remote-controlled drone [...] More

Austerity Cloud Hovers Over Pentagon Wish List for Guerillas and Climate

The Senate-passed, fiscal 2018 Defense Authorization Bill carries two little-publicized amendments that will impact future war-fighting [...] More

Mattis Hails Nuclear Triad as Pentagon Conducts Review

Mattis Hails Nuclear Triad as Pentagon Conducts Review

As Defense Secretary Jim Mattis concludes a nuclear-focused trip, his public backing this week of all three parts of the triad likely serves as an [...] More

Capitol Hill Budget Brawls Stretch Navy Resources Thin

“If we do a continuing resolution, we are not only not rebuilding our military, we are harming our military,” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told his Senate [...] More