Breaking Defense's Monday Morning Briefing

A News Roundup for the Week Ahead _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

A News Roundup for the Week Ahead It's Impossible to Tell a Wake from a Wave. Until it's Not. Presented by Northrop Grumman At 50,000 feet, the ocean seems empty. But if you know what to look for, vast intelligence can be found. That's why we built Triton. With powerful sensors, Triton can scan thousands of miles per flight and relay data back to base. Learn more. Years Of Intel Contacts Laid Foundation For UAE-Israel Deal By Arie Egozi; Friday, August 14, 2020 2:12 PM Mossad officials, retired Israeli officers, and cybersecurity experts were frequent visitors to the tiny Gulf state long before yesterday's agreement to open official diplomatic ties.   DARPA Trains AI To Understand Humans – In Minecraft By Kelsey Atherton; Friday, August 14, 2020 12:26 PM The popular game offers an arena for AI to practice working with humans in an environment where there's no real-world risk of casualties.   Iran Threat Sparks UAE-Israel Deal; US & Israeli F-35s Practice Killing SAMs By Bradley Bowman; Friday, August 14, 2020 10:06 AM Israel and the United Arab Emirates have announced an historic diplomatic agreement catalyzed by the growing security threat posed by Iran. The United States, concerned about Tehran's regional and nuclear ambitions, is leading an effort at the UN this week to prevent the Security Council's arms embargo on Iran from expiring on October 18. If…   Can Army Intel Data Feed The Kill Chain? By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Friday, August 14, 2020 10:05 AM To find targets for its new long-range weapons, the Army is experimenting with cloud computing and AI that can bridge the gap between intelligence networks and combat units.   Esper Departure Reports Thin Gruel; End Of Administration Looms By Colin Clark; Thursday, August 13, 2020 5:45 PM "And you know I'm aware, because as everyone knows [with a chuckle], these political positions they can, they can turn quickly on the other side of the election," says Will Roper.   Air Force Flight Tests B-21 Avionics; Program 'On Right Track' By Theresa Hitchens; Thursday, August 13, 2020 3:00 PM "I know we're not going to be immune from design flaws," Air Force RCO head Randy Walden said of the B-21 program. "We're going to have to work through those, and we're doing some of that today."   IBCS: Army Missile Defense Passes Most Complex Test Yet By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Thursday, August 13, 2020 12:03 PM Even with a relay taken down by jamming, the new IBCS network was able to fuse targeting data from Patriot and Sentinel radars, then shoot down two cruise missile surrogates with a single PAC-3 interceptor apiece.   Deloitte Wins $106M JAIC Contract To Build AI Toolkit By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Wednesday, August 12, 2020 5:28 PM The Joint Common Foundation will put a standard set of tools in the cloud, where any Defense Department AI project can use them.   AF 'Olympics' Seeks To Speed 3D Printing Capabilities By Theresa Hitchens; Wednesday, August 12, 2020 5:00 PM Gen. Arnold Bunch, head of Air Materiel Command, said that 64 teams are competing in the Advanced Manufacturing Olympics for a total of $1 million in prize winnings.   Shipyards Not At Risk, Despite DoD Warning It Needs $$ To Save Them By Paul McLeary; Wednesday, August 12, 2020 4:04 PM A DoD paper for Congress suggests COVID could shut down shipyards, but Navy officials and analysts say there is little risk.   Army Electronic Warfare: Big Tests In '21 By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Wednesday, August 12, 2020 7:00 AM The Stryker-mounted TLS and drone-borne MFEW are the first two nodes in a networked arsenal of sensors and jammers to combat high-tech foes.   DoD Drafts Guidelines For Laser Design By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Tuesday, August 11, 2020 4:30 PM The Pentagon's draft "reference architecture," which also covers high-powered microwave weapons, will be circulated for industry comment early next year.   Lockheed Martin Ventures Scouts Next-Gen AI/ML Tech By Theresa Hitchens; Tuesday, August 11, 2020 4:16 PM "There's a massive scramble for autonomy engineers, software — you name it," says Chris Moran, Lockheed Martin executive director.   Spacepower Is 'Catastrophically Decisive' In War: New Space Force Doctrine By Theresa Hitchens; Monday, August 10, 2020 5:21 PM "Because military spacepower has the potential to be the difference between victory and defeat, it must be viewed with equal importance as military power in any other domain," the Spacepower Capstone Publication says.   DoD Details $11B For COVID Costs, Warns 'At Least One' Shipyard May Close By Paul McLeary; Monday, August 10, 2020 4:09 PM The Pentagon memo comes as one critical shipbuilder, Bath Iron Works, struggles to get back on its feet.   Breaking Defense 611 Broadway • New York, New York • 10012 unsubscribe