Author Archive

Marcus Weisgerber

Global Business Editor

Marcus Weisgerber
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.
CIO Briefing

What Trump’s Space Force Announcement Means

New plan would create sixth service branch, and annoy the Air Force.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber and Patrick Tucker, Defense One
CIO Briefing

Scrapped: $24M Plan to Replace Refrigerators On Air Force One

Rep. Joe Courtney says the no-bid deal “didn’t pass the smell test.”

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
IT Modernization

JEDI Will Be Just One of Many Clouds, Says Pentagon’s No. 2

The giant and groundbreaking IT contract may cover just a fraction of the cloud-services orders to come.

  • By Frank Konkel and Marcus Weisgerber
An airman prepares to image a laptop at Yokota Air Base, Japan. An airman prepares to image a laptop at Yokota Air Base, Japan.
CIO Briefing

Pentagon Names First Head of Software Acquisition

The department will have an official guiding all software strategy, regardless of what platform it runs.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber
Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan visits Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington. Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan visits Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington.
CIO Briefing

Pentagon Tells Leaders to Talk More With Contractors — and Less to the Public and Press

One day after Air Force leaders severely restricted media contacts, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan encouraged Pentagon officials to engage more with industry.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
An Atlas V rocket launches with the X-37B spacecraft. An Atlas V rocket launches with the X-37B spacecraft.
CIO Briefing

Trump Calls for a Space Force, a Concept His Pentagon Opposes

The president’s words could reanimate a legislative proposal that the defense secretary and others thought they had killed.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber and Caroline Houck, Defense One
Air Force Space Command-operated Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite is illustrated in orbit. In their 22,300-mile, geosynchronous orbits, DSP satellites help protect the U.S. and allies by detecting missile launches and nuclear detonations. Air Force Space Command-operated Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite is illustrated in orbit. In their 22,300-mile, geosynchronous orbits, DSP satellites help protect the U.S. and allies by detecting missile launches and nuclear detonations.
CIO Briefing

Pentagon May Create a Combatant Command for Space

The Defense Department is also looking at major changes to speed up how it buys satellites.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan
Cybersecurity

Pentagon Warns CEOs: Protect Your Data or Lose Our Contracts

Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan says cybersecurity should be a top priority for its contractors.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Emerging Tech

The Pentagon’s New Artificial Intelligence Is Already Hunting Terrorists

After less than eight months of development, the algorithms are helping intel analysts exploit drone video over the battlefield.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
An employee at Lockheed Martin's NexGen Cyber Innovation and Technology Center. An employee at Lockheed Martin's NexGen Cyber Innovation and Technology Center.
CIO Briefing

Pentagon Delays Deadline For Military Suppliers to Meet Cybersecurity Rules

The goal of the new regulations is to secure sensitive data on the computers and networks at smaller companies.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
CIO Briefing

As the US Air Force Turns Its Focus to Space, This Small Team Could Lead the Way

Once seen as a threat to traditional acquisition channels, the Operationally Responsive Space office is making it faster and cheaper to put new capabilities into orbit.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
CIO Briefing

A New Social-Media Simulator Is Helping US Troops Train for Hybrid War

The program harvests and remixes real tweets to generate a convincing online environment for wargames large and small.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Tech Sgt. Nathaniel Jackson, 99th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician, begins a roadside bomb clearing operation during a training event June 7, 2017 at the Nevada Test and Training Range. Tech Sgt. Nathaniel Jackson, 99th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician, begins a roadside bomb clearing operation during a training event June 7, 2017 at the Nevada Test and Training Range.
CIO Briefing

Here’s How the US Military Wants to Counter ISIS Drones and Roadside Bombs

Predictive algorithms, deep machine learning, directed energy, and more are all on the Pentagon’s shopping list.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
CIO Briefing

Former Pentagon Money Man to Oversee Defense of NATO Computer Networks

Kevin Scheid returns to the alliance as members eye spending increases to pay for cyber projects and traditional weapons.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
An F-35 jet arrives at it new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah. An F-35 jet arrives at it new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah.
CIO Briefing

When Will US Air Force F-35s Be Ready for Battle?

The general who will make the decision offered some clues as he celebrated the jet's recent trip across the Atlantic.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
An A-10 Thunderbolt II flies over the Baltic Sea on Sept. 4, 2015. An A-10 Thunderbolt II flies over the Baltic Sea on Sept. 4, 2015.
CIO Briefing

Air Force Wants New Plane to Replace A-10, Fight ISIS

Generals float idea of new CAS aircraft — and beyond that, an “arsenal plane” or “flying Coke machine.”

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
CIO Briefing

Computer Crash Wipes Out Years of Air Force Investigation Records (UPDATED)

Fraud and abuse investigations dating back to 2004 vanished when a database became corrupted, service officials said.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
An artist rendition of the Bell V-280 Valor. An artist rendition of the Bell V-280 Valor.
CIO Briefing

The Futuristic Aircraft That May Replace the Black Hawk Will Fly Next Year

But don’t expect the V-280 or SB-1 to hit battlefields until after 2030 — unless their builders find other customers first.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Medium range Nodong ballistic missiles are paraded in Pyongyang, North Korea during the 70th anniversary celebrations of its ruling party's creation. Medium range Nodong ballistic missiles are paraded in Pyongyang, North Korea during the 70th anniversary celebrations of its ruling party's creation.
CIO Briefing

The Increasingly Automated Hunt for Mobile Missile Launchers

The trick is training computers to filter the normal from an ocean of imagery, alert human analysts sparingly, and learn from their feedback.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
The Air Force's Space Based Space Surveillance satellite keeps tabs on spacecraft and orbiting junk 390 miles up. The Air Force's Space Based Space Surveillance satellite keeps tabs on spacecraft and orbiting junk 390 miles up.
CIO Briefing

Do We Need Air Traffic Controllers For Space?

If the U.S. doesn’t take the lead in guiding satellites through increasingly crowded orbits, someone else will.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One