Defense Tech Newsletter

INNOVATION

Ghost in the Machine: Coming to Terms with the Human Core of Unmanned War

The widespread assumption that the United States can achieve favorable outcomes in war with more machines and fewer humans must be subjected to rigorous scrutiny. This article challenges that assumption through a historical inquiry guided by the catalysts for war identified by Thucydides; it argues that the conditions of existential war and technological parity provoke reciprocal escalation that only large quantities of humans can reconcile.

New military capabilities have always conjured illusions of control over war’s violent nature and elicited flawed theories of success in peacetime. The United States and many of its allies have once again embraced this tradition. As Western militaries grow more dependent on technological offsets, the United States must come to terms with the human face of its future wars.

China's Military Modernization and the Reshaping of Global Defense Markets

China's military modernization, driven by its 2049 "world-class military" vision, has accelerated investments in hypersonic technology, AI-enabled drones, and autonomous systems. This strategic push is not merely a domestic endeavor but a catalyst for global realignment in defense and technology sectors. For investors, the implications are profound: the race to counter China's advancements is fueling innovation, reshaping supply chains, and creating opportunities in defense contractors, hypersonic tech firms, and AI-driven drone manufacturers.

INVESTMENT

Air Force Seeks Fivefold Funding Hike for Base Defense Tech

The Air Force hopes to snag $836 million next year for rapidly deployable air base defense systems to thwart drones over fixed installations and defend Airmen at austere airfields from enemy missiles.

TECHNOLOGY

Red 6 wins deal to bring augmented reality to F-16s

The company’s helmet-mounted ATARS system can project images of adversary threats like enemy jets for real pilots flying in a cockpit.

Palmer Luckey: I Saw the Future of War. Now It’s Up to Us to Prepare For It.

Technology is now the greatest battlefield advantage. It’s time for Taiwan—and a new generation of innovators—to heed the call to build.

Red 6 CEO: Future war hinges on software-defined hardware

The future of defense will prominently feature "software-defined systems that are flexible, agile and customizable," Daniel Robinson, the chief executive at Red 6, told Axios in an interview.

New Navy video imagines high-tech warfare in 2043

The Navy's new sci-fi short "Sea Strike" showcases how new tools including artificial intelligence, drone wingmen and, yes, lasers could help in future peer-to-peer conflicts.

Space as a Gray Zone: The Future of Orbital Warfare

For as long as humans have waged war, controlling the high ground has meant controlling the fight. From ancient hilltop fortresses to the elevated positions that dictated victory in modern battles, elevation offered a point from which to project power and subdue adversaries. But what happens when the high ground isn’t a mountain or a ridge but an orbit thousands of miles above Earth?

EUROPE

Ukraine and Lithuania Partner on Joint Defense Production, Focus on Drones and Tech Exchange

Ukraine and Lithuania will launch joint production of defense products to strengthen the security of both countries, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced following a meeting in Kyiv with Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė on August 25.

Poland boosts defense tech with Finnish surveillance satellite maker stake as Russia threat looms

Poland has acquired a stake in Iceye Oy, a Finnish company specializing in advanced Earth-observation satellites equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology.

The investment is a bid to bolster its defense capabilities as it grows concerned about its proximity to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, particularly along its borders with Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave.