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Microsoft will deliver improved HoloLens combat goggles to Army testers this month
Microsoft is giving the US Army updated HoloLens goggles that hopefully won't make soldiers nauseous.
The US is destroying the world's last known chemical weapons stockpile
The world's last declared stockpile of chemical weapons will be destroyed this week.
Microsoft's HoloLens headsets are giving US Army testers nausea
Microsoft's HoloLens headsets for the US Army are creating some problems, including headaches and a limited field of view.
GM plans to build a military vehicle based on the Hummer EV
GM is building an electric military vehicle prototype, the eLRV, based on the upcoming Hummer EV.
US Army delays Microsoft's $22 billion HoloLens deal
The US Army has delayed Microsoft's HoloLens headset rollout to September 2022, a year later than expected.
Boston Dynamics' Spot robot tested in combat training with the French army
Boston Dynamics robotic dog Spot was one of several robots tested by the French army during training sessions at a military school in the northwest of France.
UK general says a quarter of the army could be robots by the 2030s
The head of the UK military, General Sir Nick Carter, believes robots could make up a quarter of the army by the 2030s.
The US Army wants to build an autonomous drone charging system
The military funded a four-year research project into the technology.
Army pauses recruiting on Twitch after First Amendment criticism
The US Army has paused activity on its Twitch account after drawing criticism from First Amendment groups for banning a user who asked about war crimes during a livestream. The user, activist Jordan Uhl, subsequently wrote an article for The Nation criticizing the Army, Navy and Air Force for using Twitch as a recruitment method. Wednesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Vice she plans to file a measure that would prevent the military from using Twitch and similar platforms for recruiting.
US Army is the latest military branch to ban TikTok
The Navy isn't the only American military branch clamping down on TikTok. The Army has banned the use of TikTok on government-issued phones, with Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Robin Ochoa telling Military.com that it's "considered a cyber threat." The Army started warning soldiers in mid-December, roughly at the same time the Defense Department was telling employees to delete TikTok to "circumvent any exposure of personal information."
US Army to test robotic combat vehicles in 2020
The US military is about to try using robotic vehicles in a more aggressive fashion -- the Army will start testing robotic combat vehicles in 2020. Soldiers in two modified Bradley Fighting Vehicles (Mission Enabler Technologies-Demonstrators, or MET-Ds) will remote control four crewless M113-derived prototypes to gauge how well the system works in real life. While it's not a combat situation, the Army hopes for feedback that will reveal problems or different use patterns.
US Army shows how it will use HoloLens in the field
When Microsoft employees balked at the company's $479 million HoloLens contract with the US Army, it raised a question: just what would this system look like? You now have a better idea. The Army has given CNBC an early demo of its Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which uses a modified HoloLens 2 to provide both combat assistance and training. It reportedly feels like a "real-life game of Call of Duty" -- you can see your squad's positions on a map, a compass, and even your weapon's reticle. Thermal imaging would help you see in the dark without as much of a telltale glow as existing night vision headsets.
US Army email mistake puts hundreds of immigrant recruits at risk
Accidental exposure of sensitive data is a major problem by just about anyone's standards, but it could be genuinely dangerous when the military is involved. The Washington Post has learned that the US Army inadvertently emailed sensitive recruitment data on more than 4,200 immigrants to recruits, including names, enlistment dates, languages and Social Security numbers. Over 900 of those in the mix are Mandarin speakers while dozens speak Russian, raising the potential for China and Russia to persecute the recruits or their families as punishment for becoming American soldiers.
Microsoft chief defends controversial military HoloLens contract
Microsoft employees objecting to a US Army HoloLens contract aren't likely to get many concessions from their company's leadership. CEO Satya Nadella has defended the deal in a CNN interview, arguing that Microsoft made a "principled decision" not to deny technology to "institutions that we have elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy." The exec also asserted that Microsoft was "very transparent" when securing the contract and would "continue to have that dialogue" with staff.
Microsoft workers demand end to HoloLens contract with US Army
You can add Microsoft to the growing list of companies whose staff are objecting to the use of their technology for some military purposes. A group of Microsoft workers has published an open letter to CEO Satya Nadella and legal chief Brad Smith asking them to end a $479 million HoloLens contract with the US Army. They contended that Microsoft is effectively developing weapons by helping the Army create a platform that helps its soldiers train and fight using augmented reality. It not only helps kill people, but turns war "into a simulated 'video game'" that disconnects infantry from the "grim stakes" of combat, the workers argued.
The US Army's 'Street Fighter V' tournament starts Saturday
The US Army is getting in on the esports craze too, but the game isn't one you might expect. Instead of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or Rainbow Six Siege, the military is hosting a tournament for Street Fighter V. The competition will be broadcast on Twitch starting tomorrow from Fort Bliss. The winner from each garrison (tournaments run through the 25th) will go on to the sold-out Grand Finals at PAX West in Seattle on September 1st. What will the winning soldier get for their efforts? A two-night stay at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas along with a $500 gift card, an Army esports jersey, commemorative coin and Twitch gear.
US Army asks startups to deliver next-generation weapons
While the US Army already works with huge military contractors, it still wants to make sure that it won't miss the chance nab new technologies developed by small businesses. That's why it has launched the Army Expeditionary Technology Search or xTechSearch, which will give "nontraditional defense partners" the chance to work with the military division. xTechSearch is a four-phase competition that promises a $200,000 cash prize for the final winner to be announced in April 2019. It's soliciting innovative technologies the army could use, such as next-gen combat vehicles that can replace tanks.
Army base pulls Chinese security cameras over 'negative perception'
If it wasn't already clear that concerns over the security of Chinese equipment are reaching a fever pitch, it is now. The US Army has pulled five of Hikvision's surveillance cameras from Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri not because they pose an active security risk (they were on a closed network and monitored the roads), but because it's worried about the "negative perception" following media reports. Hikvision is 42 percent owned by the Chinese government, which has previously raised concerns that they might be used to spy on American operations.
US Military tests system for on-demand 3D-printed drones
The US military has used drones in combat zones for over a decade to scout and support infantry. Now they're testing a way to give ground troops another edge: The capability to build UAVs themselves. What's more, the US Army is partnering with the Marine Corps on a test project that lets troops 3D-print particular drone parts from a tablet-based catalog, which could eventually lead to manufacturing UAVs customized to the mission.
Chevy is building a hydrogen fuel-cell transport vehicle for the Army
Chevy's venture into working with the Army on alternative-fuel vehicles isn't stopping with the Colorado ZH2. No, the pair are pushing forward with the Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure (SURUS) that takes the ZH2's hydrogen fuel cell power plant and mates it with what Defense One describes as a "flatbed truck trailer or even a railroad flatcar." The idea behind SURUS -- named for Hannibal's war elephants -- is to be an adaptable form of transport that can do anything from carrying injured troops to moving large amounts of cargo like diesel-powered generators in the theater of war.
