-
ScienceSpace & SpaceflightU.S. Air Force Certifies SpaceX for Military Space Missions
The U.S. Air Force has announced that SpaceX is now certified to launch military and spy satellites. That means that the United Launch Alliance, a joint effort between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, no longer holds the monopoly on national security space missions. The news, announced late yesterday, comes after two long years of negotiations between … Continued
-
Tech NewsThe Air Force Can Use an Electromagnetic Pulse to Kill Enemy Computers
One of the US Air Force’s most high-tech weapons is a tool that can’t hurt people — but it kills electronic devices. The CHAMP (Counter-Electronics High-Powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project) is a computer-frying device that emits a strong blast of targeted microwave energy that can take down enemy data centers and infrastructure without blowing anyone … Continued
By Kate Knibbs -
io9These Videos of Nuclear Weapon Tests Are Terrifying But Spectacular
It’s impossible to forget just how immense the destructive power of a nuclear weapon is, but there is nothing quite like watching an explosion to hit that point home. These videos capture the test detonations of various nuclear weapons, letting us witness the immediate effects safely behind our computer screens. Three takes of Trinity explosion, … Continued
-
Tech NewsBoondoggle HQ: The $25 Million Building in Afghanistan Nobody Needed
This is a story about how the U.S. military built a lavish headquarters in Afghanistan that wasn’t needed, wasn’t wanted and wasn’t ever used at a cost to American taxpayers of at least $25 million. From start to finish, this 64,000-square-foot mistake could easily have been avoided. Not one, not two, but three generals tried … Continued
Megan McCloskey and Vince Dixon - ProPublica -
Tech News
The Pentagon Wants Special Ops To Carry DNA Scanners
The United States’ most elite soldiers have been collecting DNA samples from suspected terrorists for years. But because analysis normally takes three weeks, it’s been a pretty useless chore. Now, however, U.S. Special Operations Command is testing a machine that can do it in 90 minutes. Get ready for advanced biometric warfare. The basic idea … Continued
-
Tech News
Government Report: Military Drone Pilots Don’t Get Enough Training
The U.S military is increasingly making use of drones rather than manned aircraft. But a new report from the Government Accountability Office suggest that many drone pilots don’t get enough training. The report suggests that pilots in both the Air Force and Army struggle to keep their flight training up-to-date. It explains that “most pilots … Continued
-
Tech News
Slay Enemies with a Cell Phone Stun Gun and Tactical Defense Pen
If you can’t destroy your opponents with sarcasm or a deftly-executed line of code, you can at least stun them with a million volts of electricity from your cell phone, or stab them with the pen in your pocket. That’s what these actual, real-life products from True Swords promise. Here are the product details on … Continued
-
Tech News
The Pentagon Wants to Turn Our Phones Into a Giant Mesh Network
Imagine what would happen if every cell phone tower in the country spontaneously combusted. We’d be in big trouble, which is why the Pentagon is exploring other ways to communicate in the event of an emergency. Chief among them is the idea toconnect every cell phone in America with mesh networking technology. Actually, the technology … Continued
-
Tech News
BAE’s New Goggles Roll Together Night Vision and Thermal Imaging
In the dark, soldiers have two options if they’re to see: night vision or thermal imaging. Both have their advantages and disadvantages—but now, BAE’s new goggles mean there’s no need to choose. Usually night vision goggles are used to understand the immediate environment—they amplify the small amounts of available light—while thermal imaging is used to … Continued
-
Tech News
Combat Tech Is Turning Baltimore Into a Paramilitary Zone
In response to rioting and violent protests in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray, the National Guard was deployed for riot control in Maryland for the first time since the 1968s race riots. Some 500 troops patrol the city, clad in body armor, with automatic rifles strapped across their chests. In 1968, mobilizing guardsmen … Continued
-
Tech NewsWatch DARPA’s Scary Self-Guided Bullets Swerve to Hit Moving Objects
Military researchers at DARPA have been developing ammunition which can change its path in mid-air to ensure it always hits its target. Now, it can even correct itself mid-flight to hit a moving target. The Department’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) is a .50 caliber bullet that maneuvers itself as it travels through the air. … Continued
-
Tech News
US Navy Secretary Wants to Stop Using Fighter Pilots in Favor of Drones
Manned fighter jets may have a limited future. The secretary of the US Navy has announced that the new F-35 Lightning II “should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.” The Register reports that the Navy’s secretary Ray Mabus made … Continued
-
Tech News
DARPA Hacked Together a Super Cheap Google Glass-Like Display
Helmet-mounted displays are priceless on the battlefield. And expensive: The proto-Google Glass headset, for instance, is absolutely useful for the average soldier, but way too pricey to be practical. That’s why folks at DARPA are freaking out about the heads up display that researchers hacked together for a few hundred bucks. Let’s get one thing … Continued
-
Tech NewsHow Police Body Cameras Were Designed to Get Cops Off the Hook
In the wake of protests over police violence against black men, many civil rights activists are calling for a high-tech solution: strapping wearable body cameras to cops. The idea is to hold police accountable for unnecessary violence. But the history of police body cams reveals that the devices have often had the opposite effect. On … Continued
-
Tech NewsTo Join the Military Police, You Must Get Pepper Sprayed in the Face
So you want to join the military police? Well then, get ready to get blasted with a a level-one contamination of oleoresin capsicum. In plain English: You’ll be pepper sprayed in a very painful way. And then you’ll have to work out! It’s just part of the training. The United States Air Force requires all … Continued
-
Tech News
The Computer Simulation That Almost Started World War III
Remember the 1983 movie WarGames? The film is about a computer “game” with the potential to start thermonuclear war. But strangely this scenario is more truth than fiction. Because in 1979 programmers at NORAD almost started World War III when they accidentally ran a computer simulation of a Soviet attack. In the early morning hours … Continued
By Matt Novak -
io9
Volunteers Are Making 3D-Printed Aerial Drones For The Ukrainian Army
Troops fighting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine are being equipped with 3D-printed aerial drones. The AEVs, which are being paid for by volunteers, are currently being used at the front. Mercifully, a ceasefire is scheduled to take effect at midnight tomorrow (14 February). It’s not known, however, if and how long it will last. Last … Continued
-
Tech NewsA History of Internet Spying, Part I
In last year’s documentary Citizenfour, Edward Snowden said, “I remember what the internet was like before it was being watched.” Snowden is just 31 years old, so there’s simply no way this is true. Intelligence agencies have been keeping tabs on the internet since before Snowden was even born. They were instrumental in creating it. … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPrivacy & Security
Saudi Arabia Is Building a 600-Mile Wall Along the Iraq Border
Saudi Arabia is building great wall — or rather, a great chainlink fence with razor wire — to “protect against ISIS” in Iraq. And it’s not the only country investing in very expensive walls right now, even though they probably won’t work. Why? Because walls aren’t just about security. They’re also powerful symbols. The Great … Continued