Recap: Highlights from the US Army’s 2025 conference in Washington
The Army continues to transform, with efforts focused on next-gen weaponry, long-range artillery, unmanned systems and much more.
Unmanned
Pentagon stages first ‘Top Drone’ school for operators to hone skills
Industry and military drone operators flew tethered and untethered first-person drones through a course designed to test endurance and maneuverability.
Pentagon wants at least $377 million over five years for new rapid experimentation fund
The fiscal 2023 funding would support experimentation sprints across the military services to mature high-priority capabilities linked to the Joint Warfighting Concept.
NORAD’s VanHerck says artificial intelligence capabilities lacking
U.S. Northern Command earlier this year asked Congress for an additional $29.8 million to buy information technology equipment and to optimize infrastructure for artificial intelligence and machine learning at its joint operations center.
Pentagon hails Lyft exec Martell for AI post
“He brings cutting-edge industry experience to apply to our unique mission set,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said April 25.
‘Zero trust’ can secure satellite communications against cyberattack
Joel Machen of SpiderOak Mission Systems argues the Defense Department should take a different approach to software and operations in satellite design and operations.
Defense Innovation Unit opens Chicago office as part of Midwest expansion
The new DIU hub will help the office tab into commercial innovation in the Midwest region.
‘Tremendous’ momentum seen as US Army upgrades network tech
U.S. Army officials have likened the capability set plan to Apple’s iPhone approach: new, enhanced hardware rolling out on the heels of the last release.
Northrop, AT&T partner to build 5G digital battle network
“When we think about today’s environment, it’s less about the traditional arms race of the past, and it’s more about the technology race of today and the future.“
How commercial space systems are changing the conflict in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine is certainly not the first major conflict where commercial space capabilities have been a feature, but experts say advances in technology have enabled these systems to play a much larger role than in the past.
Space Fence now has a direct link to key Space Force data hub
The milestone represents the first direct-connect between the Space Force's Unified Data Library and a sensor in the Space Surveillance Network.
