Author: Thomas J Ackermann

Despite the performance of the venerable ALQ-99 — the legacy standoff jamming pod mounted to the Navy’s EA-18G Growler aerial electronic attack platform — the nature of the threats today are such that the pod needed a substantial upgrade. The upgrade is so significant, the Navy is awarding the contract in three “bands” that will…

“Seit Ende des Kalten Krieges wurde die Bundeswehr schrittweise verkleinert – am Tag der Wiedervereinigung 1990 waren es noch 585.000 Soldaten. Der historische Tiefstand lag im Juni 2016 bei 166.500 Zeit- und Berufssoldaten. Die Bundeswehr umfasst (mit Stand Ende Oktober 2017) 178.847 aktive Soldaten – davon 170.089 Berufs- und Zeitsoldaten und 8758 freiwillig Wehrdienstleistende.” Seit…

Marines with 1st Marine Division repair an unmanned aerial vehicle after a flight attempt at Camp Pendleton, June 15, 2017. The Marines built, The Nibbler, a four- rotor UAV with a 20-minute flight time capable of looking over hills and around buildings providing an intelligence advantage over the enemy. US Marine Corps photo.   THE…

MIKE MCRAE 24 NOV 2017 Researchers have hacked the immune system of a bacterium into serving as the equivalent of a molecular tape recorder. By responding to chemical changes in the surroundings and then ‘time-stamping’ them in DNA, the technology paves the way for living monitoring devices that could be used in health screens or…

Powered by new processors that run 20 times faster, Navy missiles should now fly more accurately to their targets following a major upgrade and electronics enhancements. The Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS), in service since 2004, recently underwent improvements that include faster processors and increased cybersecurity controls. Most notably, planners in the Tomahawk Weapons…

New Navy satellite reinforces global network for troops on the move The Navy’s Communications Satellite Program Office and Lockheed Martin handed over control of the fifth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite to the Naval Satellite Operations Center. The handover “followed the successful completion of the MUOS-5 satellite’s on-orbit testing and delivery of all operational…

It’s been more than a year since NATO declared cyberspace an operational domain of warfare akin to air, sea and land and while the alliance is still working its way through the practical implications of this pronouncement, behind the scenes leaders have taken a series of steps to fortify NATO’s cyber operations. The alliance’s initial…

(Quote Techcrunch:) “This FCC is basically a crowd of criminals dismantling net neutrality regardless of what anyone else thinks, so I suppose it’s not surprising that they ignored all the comments in support of existing regulations in creating their new rules. Not surprising, but still immensely depressing.”   The FCC’s craven net neutrality vote announcement…

When you have an image problem as bad as Uber’s, it’s hard to fall further. News that the company experienced a data breach in 2016 that affected 57 million users does the job, however. Especially because the company purposefully failed to disclose the breach, and paid out $100,000 to its perpetrators disguised as a bug…

In collaboration with Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), the Disruption Network Lab invites to its 12th conference: An analysis of ISIS and its media strategy, the meaning of cyber jihad, and why people enroll as foreign fighters.   TERROR FEEDS: INSIDE THE FEAR MACHINE The 12th conference of the Disruption Network Lab…

The various tsunamis, hurricanes and recent earthquakes that are affecting more and more populations have all deeply affected us by their violence and their steady regularity. How can we intervene quickly and provide first aid to populations in need where traditional vehicles are no longer efficient? Our own response: the Inti Solace – The first…