An independent commission has concluded that terrorists will most likely carry out an attack with biological, nuclear or other unconventional weapons somewhere in the world in the next five years unless the United States and its allies act urgently to prevent that. [More]
Seven years after the 2001 anthrax attacks, a congressionally ordered study finds a growing threat of biological terrorism and calls for aggressive defenses on par with those used to prevent a terrorist nuclear detonation. Due for release next week, a draft of the study warns that future bioterrorists may use new technology to make synthetic versions of killers such as Ebola, or genetically modified germs designed to resist ordinary vaccines and antibiotics. [More]
Pentagon Shoots $22 Million into Guided Bullet Tech — Noah Shachtman —Wired Danger Room — Nov 25, 2008
DARPA has released a pair of contracts for defense firms to begin developing a super, .50-caliber sniper rifle that fires guided bullets, or the "ultimate sniper round" that will will make it possible to "counter environmental effects such as crosswinds and air density, and prosecute both stationary and moving targets while enhancing shooter covertness." [More]
Senior U.S. Official Doubts Conventional Global Strike Value — Elaine M. Grossman —Global Security Newswire — Nov 25, 2008
A senior U.S. defense official last week cast doubt on the national security value of proposed conventional weapons capable of hitting targets anywhere around the world on short notice. [More]
A Soldier, Taking Orders From Its Ethical Judgment Center — Cornelia Dean —New York Times — Nov 24, 2008
In the heat of battle, their minds clouded by fear, anger or vengefulness, even the best-trained soldiers can act in ways that violate the Geneva Conventions or battlefield rules of engagement. Now some researchers suggest that robots could do better. [More]
Crisis? All the More Reason to Reach for the Stars — Giovanni F. Bignami —New York Times — Nov 24, 2008
The author argues that the present economic crisis is all the more motivation that European Space Agency ministers should "think big" in their planning for the future of the agency and its programs. [More]
A team of US chemical engineers has extracted photosynthetic molecules from plants and attached them to thin sheets of gold, creating a photosynthesising cyborg. [More]
Taylor Dinerman shows how space solar power can help landlocked and resource-poor countries escape the "economic chains forged by geography." [More]
A U.S. DSP military satellite used to track enemy missiles stopped working in mid-September, underscoring the urgent need to keep a program for replacement satellites on track, according to defense analysts. [More]
The author warns that a single Iranian nuclear missile could be strategically launched over a dense population and economic center in a way that would devastate the U.S. economically and strategically. He argues for multi-layered space-based missile defense as the most robust solution. [More]