Military Technology

President Obama's new defense strategy champions the same arguments military downsizers have invoked since 1991: The United States must invest in technology and disinvest in active-duty military personnel. The plan unveiled Thursday by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is based on two such tenets: It must "protect key investments in the technologically advanced capabilities most needed for the future . . . [and] no longer size active forces to conduct large and protracted stability operations while...

ABOARD THE USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH — A drone the size of a fighter jet took off from the deck of an American aircraft carrier for the first time Tuesday in a test flight that could eventually open the way for the U.S. to launch unmanned aircraft from just about any place in the world. The X-47B is the first drone designed to take off and land on a carrier, meaning the U.S. military would not need permission from other countries to use their bases. "As our access to overseas ports,...

Mark R. Jacobson is a senior transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. From 2009 to 2011, he served with NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. At least since Pope Innocent II banned the use of crossbows against Christians in 1139, new military technologies have always created strategic and ethical dilemmas. And armed drones — the weapons of choice for today's battlefield without boundaries — are no exception. Do drone strikes provide a compelling option when battling terrorist...

Mark R. Jacobson is a senior transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. From 2009 to 2011, he served with NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. At least since Pope Innocent II banned the use of crossbows against Christians in 1139, new military technologies have always created strategic and ethical dilemmas. And armed drones — the weapons of choice for today's battlefield without boundaries — are no exception. Do drone strikes provide a compelling option when battling terrorist...

W e shouldn't gut defense. A central question of our budget debates is how much we allow growing spending on social programs to crowd out the military and, in effect, force the United States into a dangerous, slow-motion disarmament. People who see military cuts as an easy way to reduce budget deficits forget that this has already occurred. From the late 1980s to 2010, the number of America's armed forces dropped from 2.1 million men and women to about 1.4 million. The downsizing — the "peace dividend" from the end...

ABOARD THE USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH — A drone the size of a fighter jet took off from the deck of an American aircraft carrier for the first time Tuesday in a test flight that could eventually open the way for the U.S. to launch unmanned aircraft from just about any place in the world. The X-47B is the first drone designed to take off and land on a carrier, meaning the U.S. military would not need permission from other countries to use their bases. "As our access...

Iran is quietly seeking to expand its ties with Latin America in what U.S. officials and regional experts say is an effort to circumvent economic sanctions and gain access to much-needed markets and raw materials. The new diplomatic offensive, which comes amid rising tensions with Washington and European powers, includes a four-nation swing through South and Central America this month by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . His government has vowed to increase its economic, political and military...

IT'S BEEN 10 years since the first strike by an armed U.S. drone killed an al-Qaeda leader and five associates in Yemen. Since then, according to unofficial counts, there have been more than 400 "targeted killing" drone attacks in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia — countries where the United States is not fighting a conventional war. About 3,000 people have been killed, including scores — maybe hundreds — of civilians. And though the United States is winding down its military mission in Afghanistan, the Obama...

In his Oct. 20 op-ed, "Russia Unromanticized," John R. Bolton lamented a wimpish NATO response to Russia's recent aggression and called for fortifying the battle lines. But geopolitical power is no longer a function of missile shields, troop deployments or ostentatious military exercises. Perhaps Mr. Bolton hasn't noticed that U.S. influence fades as we continue to borrow and spend more money on military expenditures than the rest of the world combined. What is needed is a Marshall Plan for the 21st century that supports...

Fred A. Koether, 96, a former director of technical information for the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, died May 7 at the Sunrise senior living community in Falls Church. He had heart disease. The death was confirmed by a nephew, Ronald Barth. Mr. Koether moved to Sunrise from McLean in 2010. Mr. Koether spent much of his career with what is known as Darpa, which is involved in military technology. He continued working until 90. Andreas Fritz Karl Koether was born in Bremen, Germany, and grew up in...

IT'S BEEN 10 years since the first strike by an armed U.S. drone killed an al-Qaeda leader and five associates in Yemen. Since then, according to unofficial counts, there have been more than 400 "targeted killing" drone attacks in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia — countries where the United States is not fighting a conventional war. About 3,000 people have been killed, including scores — maybe hundreds — of civilians. And though the United States is winding down its military mission in Afghanistan, the Obama administration, as...

United Technologies, a major defense contractor, and two of its subsidiaries on Thursday acknowledged covering up the illicit sale of sensitive military software to China — technology that the country later used to develop its first attack helicopter. Federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against the firms and a fine of more than $75 million for what they called a violation of U.S. export laws. Justice officials said the software sold to China posed a risk to American...

Fred A. Koether, 96, a former director of technical information for the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, died May 7 at the Sunrise senior living community in Falls Church. He had heart disease. The death was confirmed by a nephew, Ronald Barth. Mr. Koether moved to Sunrise from McLean in 2010. Mr. Koether spent much of his career with what is known as Darpa, which is involved in military technology. He continued working until 90. Andreas Fritz Karl Koether was born in Bremen, Germany,...

SEOUL — Newly in charge of a country where leaders are idolized but rarely heard from, Kim Jong Eun on Sunday stepped onto a balcony in Pyongyang overlooking tens of thousands. He moved toward a podium affixed with seven identical microphones. And then he spoke. The young North Korean leader, in his first public address , told a packed crowd of soldiers and citizens that he would follow the legacy of his father and grandfather and prioritize the country's military strength.

The United States may be falling behind in transportation, education and health care down here on Earth, but its military infrastructure is certainly way ahead when it comes to imagery and communications satellites armed with defensive and offensive capabilities out there in space. That the United States leads in the militarization of space is apparent from House and Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearings this month on the fiscal 2013 budget of $9.7 billion for military space programs.

President Obama's new defense strategy champions the same arguments military downsizers have invoked since 1991: The United States must invest in technology and disinvest in active-duty military personnel. The plan unveiled Thursday by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is based on two such tenets: It must "protect key investments in the technologically advanced capabilities most needed for the future . . . [and] no longer size active forces to conduct large and protracted stability...

United Technologies, a major defense contractor, and two of its subsidiaries on Thursday acknowledged covering up the illicit sale of sensitive military software to China — technology that the country later used to develop its first attack helicopter. Federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against the firms and a fine of more than $75 million for what they called a violation of U.S. export laws. Justice officials said the software sold to China posed a risk to American troops overseas and...

Iran is quietly seeking to expand its ties with Latin America in what U.S. officials and regional experts say is an effort to circumvent economic sanctions and gain access to much-needed markets and raw materials. The new diplomatic offensive, which comes amid rising tensions with Washington and European powers, includes a four-nation swing through South and Central America this month by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . His government has vowed to increase its economic, political and military influence in the...