Author Archive

Patrick Tucker

Patrick Tucker

Science & Technology Editor, Defense One

Patrick Tucker is science and technology editor for Defense One. He’s also the author of The Naked Future: What Happens in a World That Anticipates Your Every Move? (Current, 2014). Previously, Tucker was deputy editor for The Futurist for nine years. Tucker has written about emerging technology in Slate, The Sun, MIT Technology Review, Wilson Quarterly, The American Legion Magazine, BBC News Magazine, Utne Reader, and elsewhere.
Patrick Tucker is science and technology editor for Defense One. He’s also the author of The Naked Future: What Happens in a World That Anticipates Your Every Move? (Current, 2014). Previously, Tucker was deputy editor for The Futurist for nine years. Tucker has written about emerging technology in Slate, The Sun, MIT Technology Review, Wilson Quarterly, The American Legion Magazine, BBC News Magazine, Utne Reader, and elsewhere.
Defense

Air Force braces for new nuclear-war scenarios

With more nuclear players and weapons around the world, U.S. forces need to be ready, a top service leader says.

Tech

Could an easy radio fix have prevented the Trump assassination attempt?

“Being able to talk to other agencies real-time certainly would assist in that response,” one official said.

Management

Pentagon budget request aims to balance congressional limits, foreign needs, and innovation

“This should be the wake-up call that tells us we need to be buying different stuff,” one expert said.

Defense

The Pentagon may never get to the bottom of that famous UFO video

The DOD’s office is creating a way for former government employees to reach out with information about UFOs.

Tech

Agencies get marching orders as White House issues AI-safety directive

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is ordered to draft red-teaming requirements, the National Science Foundation to work on cryptography, and the Homeland Security Department to apply them to critical infrastructure.

Defense

A senator's holds on military nominations are hurting readiness against China, Defense official says

From Defense policy bill amendments and "poison pill" spending bills to promotion holds, Republicans' efforts are frustrating Pentagon officials.

Defense

Air Force Lab Seeks Higher-Risk, Higher-Reward Breakthroughs

At the Defense One Tech Summit, AFRL's tech chief says the lab wants to answer science questions that have never been asked.

Defense

The Pentagon’s AI Chief Is ‘Scared to Death’ of ChatGPT

But other defense leaders are more eager to deploy new artificial-intelligence tools.

Defense

Why the Pentagon’s Response to the Discord Leaks Won’t Fix the Problem

The Defense Department keeps too many secrets, uses old approaches to secret storage, and does not apply data-driven strategies to classification.

Tech

A ‘ChatGPT’ For Satellite Photos Already Exists

Using advanced generative AI and a massive dataset of Earth images, it’s possible to discover objects almost anywhere in just hours.

Defense

White House Launches Effort to Examine Policy Choices for Shooting Down UFOs

NORTHCOM has changed radar settings to get “better fidelity on seeing slower objects,” general says.

Breaking News Defense

US Shoots Down ‘Objects’ Off Alaska Coast, Over Canada, Lake Huron

White House was worried object on Friday posed “potential hazard to civilian air traffic.”

Defense

China’s Balloon May Have Taught Pentagon More Than Beijing Learned From It, General Says

Still, NORAD’s chief says the U.S. military took “precautions,” including “non-kinetic effects.”

Defense

New Institute Will Study How the Defense Department Manages Itself

To “compete on a global stage,” DOD must get a handle on its management practices, Deputy Defense Secretary says.

Defense

UFO Sightings By US Troops Surge

Intelligence officials cite recent efforts to reduce the stigma of reporting odd aerial phenomena. Many cases remain unexplained.