Author Archive

Ben Watson

News Editor

Ben Watson
Ben Watson is news editor for Defense One. He previously worked for NPR's “All Things Considered” and “Here and Now” in Washington, D.C. Watson served for five years in the U.S. Army, where he was an award-winning combat cameraman and media advisor for southern Afghanistan's special operations command during the 2010-11 surge.
Emerging Tech

AI: The Pros, Cons, and What To Really Fear

Dive into what's known so far about the new AI arms race — with a particular eye on U.S. and Chinese efforts — in a new special report.

  • By Ben Watson, Defense One
CIO Briefing

3 Questions: Artificial Intelligence and the Military

AI has moved from the movies to the laboratory, and governments around the world want it in their arsenals. We asked how militaries define it, and how they intend to keep it under control.

  • By Ben Watson, Defense One
People watch a flying demonstration of a drone at the DJI booth at CES International Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, in Las Vegas. People watch a flying demonstration of a drone at the DJI booth at CES International Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, in Las Vegas.
CIO Briefing

The US Army Just Ordered Soldiers to Stop Using Drones from China’s DJI

An Aug. 2 memo cites 'increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities' with drones from China’s market-leading DJI.

  • By Ben Watson, Defense One
Iraqi special forces Lt. Col. Ali Hussein holds a destroyed drone used by Islamic State militants, which was shot down by his brigade, in the Bakr front line neighborhood, in Mosul, Iraq, Friday Nov. 25, 2016. Iraqi special forces Lt. Col. Ali Hussein holds a destroyed drone used by Islamic State militants, which was shot down by his brigade, in the Bakr front line neighborhood, in Mosul, Iraq, Friday Nov. 25, 2016.
CIO Briefing

The Drones of ISIS

Islamic State fighters are launching an ever-wider assortment of deadly drones, even as their UAV factories come under heavy attack.

  • By Ben Watson, Defense One