Author Archive
Marcus Weisgerber
Global Business Editor

Marcus Weisgerber is the global business editor for Defense One, where he writes about the intersection of business and national security. He has been covering defense and national security issues for more than a decade, previously as Pentagon correspondent for Defense News and chief editor of Inside the Air Force. He has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, and often travels with the defense secretary and other senior military officials.
Cybersecurity
Small Contractors Struggle to Meet Cybersecurity Standards, Pentagon Finds
Even large companies aren’t doing as well as they think they are, the assistant acquisition chief said.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Emerging Tech
Army Hires AI Firm to Predict When Aircraft, Vehicles & Weapons Will Break
Following the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, the service hopes a small company can organize the data from decades-old maintenance logs.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Emerging Tech
What Does the US Military Need For A War In Space? It’s Hard to Say
The plans for war above the atmosphere remain so tightly classified that industry can’t start building the things that will be needed.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
CIO Briefing
Defense Secretary Says to Expect ‘Trimming, Reducing, Some Eliminations’ in 2021 Budget
Esper touts "good progress" in high-level review intended to cut fat and find funds for projects to counter China and Russia.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
CIO Briefing
As Secret Pentagon Spending Rises, Defense Firms Cash in
Classified spending has edged up faster than overall defense budget requests, and accounts for nearly 11 percent of the $716 billion proposed for 2020.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Emerging Tech
New Tech Promises to Stop Drones from Overflying Stadiums — and Find the People Flying Them
Raytheon says its products helped police nab four flying drones over an outdoor concert.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Cybersecurity
New Tech Aims to Tell Pilots When Their Plane Has Been Hacked
Raytheon is pitching a product to detect cyber intrusions into aircraft, drones and even missiles.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Emerging Tech
US Navy’s Drone Tanker Prototype Takes First Flight
Now service officials hope they can get the MQ-25 operating faster than planned.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Policy
Lawmaker Threatens to Give the Next Attack Plane to the Army
Tired of USAF slow-rolling, Rep. Michael Waltz has already spearheaded legislation allowing SOCOM to seek light attack aircraft.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
CIO Briefing
Pentagon Sees ‘No Major Concerns’ With Raytheon-United Technologies Merger
The Defense Department’s top weapons buyer, Ellen Lord, gives stamp of approval to what would be the second-largest defense and aerospace company ever.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Emerging Tech
Lawmaker: Human Problem at Pentagon Worse than Tech Problem
Rep. Jim Cooper says Congress shouldn’t accept a government topped by acting political appointees.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
CIO Briefing
Will Trump Object to the Raytheon-United Technologies Merger?
After an analyst said Obama-era opposition to consolidation had dissipated, Trump appeared to signal the opposite.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Policy
Space Force Clears Senate Committee After House Attempt to Stall
The Senate Armed Services Committee’s legislation “greatly increases the odds that we end up with some sort of a Space Force,” one expert says.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
CIO Briefing
Trump Taps Shanahan To Lead DOD, Ending Months of Speculation
The nomination marks the beginning of the end of the tenure of the longest-serving acting defense secretary.
- By Marcus Weisgerber and Katie Bo Williams, Defense One
Cybersecurity
The Navy Is Assembling a Hacker Team to Fight Off Small Drones
Engineers, researchers, and hackers will seek ways to protect warships and bases from hobby-type drones modified to kill.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Emerging Tech
Will Space Force Boost Already-Rising Spending on Satellites?
Defense execs see increased sales as Pentagon upgrades orbiting gear to fend off attacks.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
CIO Briefing
Defense Companies Starting to Feel Effect of U.S. Government Shutdown
Firms working for NASA, DHS, and other shuttered federal agencies are taking hits to their cash flow.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Cybersecurity
Pentagon Creates ‘Do Not Buy’ List of Russian, Chinese Software
Increasingly alarmed at foreign hacking, DOD and intelligence officials are racing to educate the military and defense contractors.
- By Patrick Tucker and Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Cybersecurity
If Your Weapons Aren’t Cyber-Hardened, Expect to Lose Pentagon Contracts
The Pentagon intends to start assessing its weapons’ resistance to hacks, instead of leaving that to manufacturers.
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Emerging Tech
General: Project Maven Is Just the Beginning of the Military’s Use of AI
Air Combat Command chief invites tech firms to help build next-gen tools for the Pentagon. Also says dissent "is part of being an American."
- By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One