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FAA warns drone operators to steer clear of high-priority naval bases
The military is authorized to shoot down drones flying over bases, but at least two naval bases are still struggling to get operators to stop getting too close. Now, the FAA has issued a stricter warning against flying drones too near Naval Base Kitsap (Washington) and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay (Georgia) in order "to address concerns about potentially malicious drone operations over certain, high-priority maritime operations." More specifically, the FAA is restricting drone flights near the US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels operating in those bases. Kitsap is one of Navy's strategic nuclear weapons facilities, while Kings Bay houses the country's nuclear missile submarines.
Pentagon data breach compromises up to 30,000 workers
The Pentagon still has to grapple with data security woes despite efforts to harden its sites and networks. Defense Department officials have revealed that a travel record data breach at an unnamed contractor exposed the personal info of military and civilian staffers, including credit cards. An AP source said that this didn't compromise classified material, but it affected "as many as" 30,000 workers. There's a chance that number might get larger, according to the source.
Recommended Reading: The reality of sci-fi's AI immortality obsession
Are Hosts, Replicants, and robot clones closer than we think? Jayson Greene, The Ringer Black Mirror already uncomfortably aligns with the real world, but we might be even closer to more advanced concepts from that show and others, like Westworld and Altered Carbon, becoming reality. The Ringer offers a look at just how far away we could be from Hosts, Replicants and robotic clones following a new trailer release for Keanu Reeves' long lost Replicas movie.
White House sanctions quicker response to foreign cyber attacks
This week, the White House approved a new policy that allows the military to undertake actions that fall below the "use of force" threshold. This frees up military organizations to engage in more day-to-day "cyber operations" against foreign countries in order to protect US networks and systems, according to The Washington Post.
Pentagon pledges $2 billion for AI research
The US Department of Defense will put up to $2 billion towards artificial intelligence research over the next five years, the Washington Post reports. Steven Walker, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), announced the plan today at a symposium outside of Washington, DC. He said the agency wants to look into "how machines can acquire human-like communication and reasoning capabilities" and will fund dozens of new research projects going forward.
FTC seizes fake military recruitment websites
FTC has successfully seized and shut down a number of fake military recruitment websites that trick people into giving them their personal information. The websites' operators, Alabama-based companies Sunkey Publishing Inc. and Fanmail.com LLC, have agreed to hand over their domains as part of their settlement with the agency. According to the FTC, the websites -- army.com, navyenlist.com and armyenlist.com, among others -- pose as legit military recruitment portals, when in fact they sell the details applicants send in as marketing leads to post-secondary schools for $15 to $40 per. They lure people to their domains by using search ads that include phrases such as "The Army Wants You! " and "Coast Guard Wants You!"
Facebook bans Myanmar military officials following damning UN report
Facebook is taking action to halt the spread of hate speech and misinformation in Myanmar, banning Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the Myawady military TV network and other people and groups. It said that international experts, working with the UN Human Rights Council, "found evidence that many of these individuals and organizations committed or enabled serious human rights abuses in the country." In total, it removed 18 Facebook accounts, 52 pages and one Instagram account.
AK-47 maker Kalashnikov has built a retro-styled EV
Russian weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov may be best known for making the AK-47 machine gun, but it's also got serious aspirations in the electric vehicle field, too. This week it unveiled a fleet of electric and hybrid cars, buggies and bikes in a move it believes will give Tesla a run for its money.
Vice President Pence lays out plan to create Space Force
Vice President Mike Pence has detailed a plan to establish Space Force as a new military branch. In a Pentagon speech, he laid out proposals to form a US Space Command (as was previously reported) that would focus on defending space. White House officials aim to establish Space Command by the end of the year and have a four-star general in place to lead it.
Pentagon restricts use of location-logging fitness trackers
The Pentagon is banning soldiers and others stationed at sensitive bases and warzone areas from using location features on fitness trackers and other devices because the data could give away where troops are situated. The Department of Defense is not issuing an outright ban on GPS devices and apps, but declared that the location features must be turned off in certain areas.
US bill forces tech companies to disclose foreign software checks
Technology companies could soon be forced to reveal if they have allowed agencies in countries such as China and Russia to closely examine their software. The legislation -- part of the Pentagon's spending bill -- was drafted in response to a Reuters investigation last year which found that in order to sell to the Russian market, some software makers had allowed a Russian defense agency to hunt for vulnerabilities in software also used by some US government agencies.
Leak provides early details for Trump's proposed Space Force
Congress is still a long way off from greenlighting Trump's proposed Space Force, but that isn't stopping the Pentagon from outlining plans for the new military branch. Defense One has obtained a leaked draft proposal that reveals some of the potential changes. The military would move quickly, creating a US Space Command by the end of 2018 that watches over space operations across the armed forces. The Pentagon would recommend that the leader of Air Force Space Command also head up this new division. Simultaneously, officials would establish a Space Operations Force that would include personnel (including civilians) from the whole military. It'd be ready quickly -- "space experts" would go to the European and Indo-Pacific Commands by summer 2019.
In nuclear politics, one size doesn't fit all
No one wants to use nuclear weapons. Even President Harry S. Truman, the only leader in history to actually order and carry out a nuclear strike, was hesitant to use the United States' atomic arsenal after witnessing the power of the bombs first-hand. On July 16th, 1945, the US successfully detonated the world's first atomic warhead, an implosion-type plutonium bomb that transformed the New Mexico desert into radioactive green glass. Six days later, President Truman wrote in his journal: "We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. It may be the fire destruction prophesied in the Euphrates Valley Era, after Noah and his fabulous Ark. ... This weapon is to be used against Japan between now and August 10th. I have told the Sec. of War, Mr. Stimson, to use it so that military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children."
DARPA pushes for AI that can explain its decisions
Companies like to flaunt their use of artificial intelligence to the point where it's virtually meaningless, but the truth is that AI as we know it is still quite dumb. While it can generate useful results, it can't explain why it produced those results in meaningful terms, or adapt to ever-evolving situations. DARPA thinks it can move AI forward, though. It's launching an Artificial Intelligence Exploration program that will invest in new AI concepts, including "third wave" AI with contextual adaptation and an ability to explain its decisions in ways that make sense. If it identified a cat, for instance, it could explain that it detected fur, paws and whiskers in a familiar cat shape.
IBM extends deal using Watson to support veterans with cancer
IBM is making further use of Watson in the fight against cancer. The tech giant has extended a team-up with the US Department of Veterans Affairs that taps Watson for help treating soldiers with cancer, particularly stage 4 patients who have few other options. The new alliance runs through "at least" June 2019 and will continue the partnership's existing strategy. Oncologists and pathologists first sequence tumor DNA, and then use Watson's AI to interpret the data and spot mutations that might open up therapeutic choices.
US military drone documents are selling for $150 on the dark web (updated)
Last month, while tracking dark web marketplaces, threat intel team Insikt Group of the security firm Recorded Future discovered that someone was selling alleged US military documents. A hacker was asking for "$150 to $200" for non-classified yet sensitive materials on the US Air Force's Reaper drone, and posted an additional bundle of information on US Army vehicles and tactics for sale.
Polar fitness data exposes homes of soldiers and intelligence agents
Strava isn't the only fitness tech company grappling with the security implications of its fitness tracking. Bellingcat and De Correspondent have discovered that Polar's Flow social platform can reveal the homes of soldiers and intelligence officials with little effort. As it shows all of a given person's published workouts on one map, you only have to find a sensitive installation (such as a military base or spy agency), pick someone who uses a Polar fitness tracker and then see if they have any workouts that end at a residence. Many of these people use their real names and tend to end workouts in front of their homes or hotels, making it easy to correlate their fitness info with social network profiles and other telltale data.
NASA chief backs Trump's Space Force proposal
Whatever you think of Trump's proposed Space Force, it has at least one ally in its corner: recently-installed (and Trump-selected) NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine. In an interview with Axios, Bridenstine argued that space was becoming "more contested" and that the US had to be "willing to defend" space in order to maintain it. He argued that the Chinese and Russians were developing not only anti-satellite missiles, but co-orbital satellite weapons, jammers and other spaceborne threats. Allegedly, the Chinese see the US' lack of space weapons as an "Achilles' heel" it could exploit.
US Army tests AI that predicts vehicle repairs
Keeping vehicles in good working order is about more than just getting to work on time for the US Army. A breakdown in the middle of a combat zone could prove deadly. So, to help keep on top of repairs, the army is testing artificial intelligence to predict when a vehicle might need a new part.
Ex-Pentagon official behind Project Maven ‘alarmed’ by Google withdrawal
Project Maven -- the deal through which Google is providing the Pentagon with AI software that can flag drone images that require further human review -- has been a thorn in the company's side for months. Google employees have spoken out against the project and their opposition ultimately led to the company deciding not to renew the contract when it expires next year. Now, former Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work, who started the Project Maven initiative, is saying he's "alarmed" by Google's decision to walk away from the program.
