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In a bold move to supercharge its digital modernization, the U.S. Army is creating a brand-new Artificial Intelligence-f...
07/10/2025

In a bold move to supercharge its digital modernization, the U.S. Army is creating a brand-new Artificial Intelligence-focused enlisted occupational specialty — 49B — and a dedicated officer track for AI and machine learning operations.
This initiative marks a significant shift toward integrating AI talent across the force, from cyber and signal to frontline units. A new Area of Concentration (AOC) will allow officers to build full careers in AI without leaving their core branches, ensuring deep operational integration of emerging tech.

As wars become algorithm-driven, the Army is laying the foundation for a tech-savvy force that can operate alongside — and in command of — intelligent systems. With ongoing efforts to embed AI into drones, robotic systems, and decision-making platforms, these new roles are a mission-critical step in the Pentagon’s race to operationalize autonomy.

The U.S. military’s new digital frontier has a Silicon Valley ZIP code. With Reserve Detachment 201 now operational, tec...
06/26/2025

The U.S. military’s new digital frontier has a Silicon Valley ZIP code. With Reserve Detachment 201 now operational, tech elites from Meta, OpenAI, and Palantir are being commissioned as lieutenant colonels to inject frontline innovation into the Pentagon's vast bureaucracy.

Army Reserve Detachment 201—quietly in the works before the second Trump administration—has now become a bold signal of realignment. Among those tapped: Meta CTO Adam Bosworth, OpenAI’s product chief Kevin Weil, Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar, and veteran technologist Bob McGrew.

These aren’t symbolic roles. From AI and autonomy to VR, battlefield logistics, and C2 systems, Silicon Valley is no longer consulting—it’s deploying.

As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leans hard into a “culture of lethality,” tech’s appetite for government contracts has exploded—fueling a new era of “warfighter startups.” Critics label it a MAGA-fueled military–industrial revival, but insiders know this is just a return to roots: Silicon Valley was born from defense spending 75 years ago.

In a landmark shift for U.S. defense tech, OpenAI has been awarded a $200 million Pentagon contract to deliver cutting-e...
06/23/2025

In a landmark shift for U.S. defense tech, OpenAI has been awarded a $200 million Pentagon contract to deliver cutting-edge artificial intelligence capabilities to support national security priorities.

Under the agreement, OpenAI will build and prototype "frontier AI capabilities" to address mission-critical challenges across both warfighting and enterprise domains—marking a bold step in integrating advanced AI into defense infrastructure. The project will be based primarily in Washington, D.C., and is scheduled for completion by July 2026.

The award follows the White House’s broader push to strengthen American leadership in AI, while national security applications remain exempt from civilian AI regulations. As OpenAI’s annualized revenue soars past $10 billion, the company’s move into defense underscores how Silicon Valley and national defense are now more intertwined than ever.

Anthropic has launched Claude Gov — its AI suite custom-built for U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. This new produ...
06/12/2025

Anthropic has launched Claude Gov — its AI suite custom-built for U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. This new product directly competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Gov and is already deployed by top-tier national security organizations.

Claude Gov is designed to support sensitive missions like threat analysis and classified intel review, with more lenient guardrails on classified data than its civilian counterpart. It also offers superior language processing and contextual understanding aligned with national security needs.

Anthropic stresses Claude Gov passed rigorous safety testing and complies with a tailored usage policy — blocking uses like weapon design, disinformation campaigns, and censorship systems, while allowing certain government-focused exceptions.

This marks the latest move in a growing trend of AI firms targeting national security markets. Claude Gov is part of Palantir’s FedStart program and joins a crowded field alongside ChatGPT Gov and Scale AI’s military-focused agent platform.

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) and MDC Studio have launched the HJF-MDC ...
06/06/2025

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) and MDC Studio have launched the HJF-MDC Venture Fund, an independent vehicle investing in early-stage startups developing breakthrough technologies for military and civilian healthcare.

The Fund will back innovations in medical devices, wearable health tech, and assistive robotics. MDC has also opened a satellite office inside HJF’s Bethesda-based innovation facility to deepen collaboration.

“The HJF-MDC Venture Fund is designed to drive medical technology from military innovation labs to the wider world,” said HJF leadership.

The Fund is guided by a powerhouse board—including former DoD health leaders and seasoned investors—bringing military urgency and commercial discipline to every deal.

Palmer Luckey’s Anduril is teaming up with Meta—yes, the company he famously split from—to co-develop EagleEye: a next-g...
06/03/2025

Palmer Luckey’s Anduril is teaming up with Meta—yes, the company he famously split from—to co-develop EagleEye: a next-gen AR/VR wearable suite for the U.S. Army.

The rugged headsets and glasses will supercharge battlefield awareness with long-range drone detection, target identification, and sensory enhancements. Think “Iron Man” meets infantry.

Per Bloomberg, EagleEye's sensor array enhances vision and hearing, giving soldiers the ability to detect threats miles away. According to , the tech will help “protect our interests at home and abroad.”

The battlefield is going digital—and this time, Palmer Luckey and Mark Zuckerberg are on the same side.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been awarded a massive $250 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to support th...
06/02/2025

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been awarded a massive $250 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to support the Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension (CAStLE) at the Air Force Academy. The 7-year deal focuses on advanced research to combat degradation in aircraft materials and systems due to operational use—keeping America’s aging fleet combat-ready.

SwRI will lead engineering breakthroughs in material fatigue, corrosion testing, predictive maintenance, and laser-based inspections, ensuring that critical aircraft platforms remain viable amid mounting global threats. The contract includes real-time health monitoring tech and machine learning diagnostics to extend structural life and reduce maintenance costs.

With CAStLE’s research legacy and SwRI’s innovation firepower, the contract reflects a strategic push to sustain legacy airframes while balancing modernization efforts. This is a major win for San Antonio’s growing role in defense innovation.

VelocityTX is hosting ProPEL 2025, a high-impact event spotlighting breakthrough research from local military medical la...
05/29/2025

VelocityTX is hosting ProPEL 2025, a high-impact event spotlighting breakthrough research from local military medical laboratories. From AI-enabled diagnostics to combat casualty innovations, this event is designed to foster collaboration across the military health ecosystem.

Attendees will connect directly with military medical researchers, explore emerging technologies, and collaborate on shaping the next generation of warfighter health solutions. It’s a must-attend for innovators driving the future of defense health.

The event takes place at VelocityTX in San Antonio from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., bringing together scientists, military professionals, and industry partners committed to advancing military medicine.

The U.S. just lit the fuse on its most advanced enclosed testing facility for hypersonic and directed energy weapons. Te...
05/27/2025

The U.S. just lit the fuse on its most advanced enclosed testing facility for hypersonic and directed energy weapons. Texas A&M University’s new $65 million Ballistic Aero-Optics and Materials (BAM) Range, located on its RELLIS Campus, is the longest indoor weapons test range in the U.S., designed to bridge the gap between lab wind tunnels and open-air test sites.

Jointly funded by the Army, NASA, the State of Texas, and Texas A&M, BAM enables rapid-fire testing at lower cost—hosting multiple weekly trials versus the costly months-long scheduling of traditional military ranges. The half-kilometer-long, eight-foot-diameter testbed is already active, with directed energy experiments underway and hypersonic trials kicking off now.

Army Futures Command’s Lt. Gen. Miles Brown hailed BAM as a leap in “product innovation to overmatch potential adversaries.” The facility will serve national security needs across DoD and industry, while future plans aim to expand the tunnel to a full kilometer to support even more next-gen weapons research.

Never forgotten.
05/26/2025

Never forgotten.

DARPA’s POWER program just smashed records by beaming over 800 watts of laser power across 8.6 kilometers—delivering mor...
05/23/2025

DARPA’s POWER program just smashed records by beaming over 800 watts of laser power across 8.6 kilometers—delivering more than 1 megajoule of energy in just 30 seconds. The groundbreaking demo, called PRAD (POWER Receiver Array Demo), marks the longest high-power optical energy transmission ever achieved.

Developed with Teravec Technologies and tested at White Sands Missile Range, the compact receiver system uses a parabolic mirror to reflect the beam onto photovoltaic cells, converting laser energy into usable electricity. The tech is designed to scale—eventually powering UAVs and forward-deployed platforms without relying on fuel.

Program lead Dr. Paul Jaffe says the next step is vertical and relay-based transmission, bringing the Pentagon closer to untethered power for the battlefield. DARPA is now seeking partners for Phase II.

The 101st Airborne Division is set to become the first unit to receive the Army’s new MV-75 aircraft, a tiltrotor design...
05/19/2025

The 101st Airborne Division is set to become the first unit to receive the Army’s new MV-75 aircraft, a tiltrotor designed to replace the iconic Black Hawk. The Bell-built MV-75—formerly known as the V-280 Valor—offers longer range, higher speed, and greater lift, marking a leap forward in combat aviation capabilities.

Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus said the 101st’s rapid-deployment mission profile made them the ideal choice to pioneer the platform. Initial testing and fielding will help shape tactics and doctrine for both conventional and special operations missions.

The MV-75 is part of a broader transformation of Army aviation and acquisition strategies, emphasizing flexibility, autonomy integration, and next-gen maneuver warfare. The Army currently operates over 2,000 Black Hawks; full MV-75 fielding is expected by 2030.

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