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Army pushes battlefield AI as counter-drone fight takes center stage

Army pushes battlefield AI as counter-drone fight takes center stage

The Army is expanding its use of artificial intelligence beyond drones — from wearable smart glasses that train mechanics in the field to automated defenses against swarms of cheap enemy aircraft — as leaders warn the counter-drone fight is now “problem 1A” for the nation. Speaking to reporters this week, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll described a pilot program in which soldiers wearAI-enabled Ray-Ban glasses that record repair jobs and then use generative models to walk less-experienced troops through infantry squad vehicle maintenance. He said it reflects a new push to bring consumer technology into the force “a lot more quickly” than in the past. While Meta may have spent billions developing the glasses, the Army is testing them for about $400 a pair. Gen. Randy George, the Army’s chief of staff, said the same approach applies to the Pentagon’s top emerging challenge: defending against drones. “This is problem 1A that we’re facing as a country,” Driscoll said, stressing that counter-drone technology must be cheap, fast and automated. “If you think of a drone swarm … it is a nearly impossible idea for even human beings [to handle].” AI ARMS RACE: US AND CHINA WEAPONIZE DRONES, CODE AND BIOTECH FOR THE NEXT GREAT WAR That challenge has been underscored overseas, where advanced aircraft have been used to intercept relatively inexpensive drones. “If you’ve got a $5,000 drone, you want a $2,000 or $3,000 or $4,000 interceptor, and that’s what we’re focused on,” George said.  Last week, Dutch F-35s and Polish F-16s deployed to take out dozens of Russian drones flying into Russian territory. George added that the Army is testing proximity rounds and high-energy lasers, while the bigger hurdle is defending against drones in crowded civilian airspace. As part of the Army’s “continuous transformation” initiative, George said 25 brigades will be overhauled in the next two years to make them more lethal, mobile and survivable in high-threat environments. The first armored brigade combat teams are set to rotate through the National Training Center in California this November, followed by a large-scale exercise in Hawaii. George also pointed to armor modernization, saying the Army’s next-generation M1E3 tank — envisioned as a lighter, faster replacement for the Abrams — could reach units as early as next year. That would mark a major acceleration, since earlier projections suggested the vehicle would not field until the 2030s. To pay for its modernization drive, Driscoll said the Army plans to cut $48 billion over five years from programs it no longer needs, reinvesting in drones, air defenses and long-range fires.  PENTAGON UNVEILS $961B BUDGET REQUEST: FUND FOR GOLDEN DOME, MISSILES AND DRONES, FEWER F-35 JETS The service also launched a $750 million “Fuse” fund to support small and mid-sized businesses and previewed new acquisition reforms to be detailed at next month’s AUSA conference. Modeled partly on the rapid iteration practices of commercial companies, the changes will co-locate soldiers, engineers and contractors to speed up design and fielding. Officials also highlighted in-house efforts. George said the Army is now building its own drones at depots with all-American parts — including models already flying in Ukraine — to help replenish stockpiles. Driscoll said 3D printing is being tested as a way to overcome the “tyranny of distance” in the Indo-Pacific, allowing soldiers to fabricate parts in theater instead of waiting on long supply lines. George pointed to battlefield command as another area of change. The 4th Infantry Division is now testing command-and-control apps on ruggedized tablets — replacing the trucks and racks of radios that have long anchored Army command posts.  The move is designed to make headquarters smaller and harder to target, though outside experts have warned that relying on commercial-style devices could introduce new cyber vulnerabilities and durability issues in combat. Driscoll also credited President Trump with backing the Army’s overhaul. “They’ve held the line every single time when we have made a hard decision,” he said. Still, he acknowledged that each of the $48 billion in cuts has defenders in Congress and industry.

Trump caps UK trip with $350B tech pact, heads to Arizona for Kirk’s memorial service

Trump caps UK trip with 0B tech pact, heads to Arizona for Kirk’s memorial service

President Donald Trump spent the bulk of the week in the U.K. where he inked a new tech deal, and closed out the week gearing up to attend the memorial service of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Arizona.  During the trip abroad, Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled a new $350 billion tech investment plan, which is expected to generate 15,000 jobs across the U.K. and up to 2,500 jobs in the U.S.  Specific details of the “Tech Prosperity Deal” are sparse, but officials said that the plan will invest in the development of 12 advanced nuclear reactors and that energy will go toward supplying energy needs for the U.K. and the U.S.  “It’s a blueprint to win this new era together. Shape it according to our shared values, and seize the incredible opportunities that are on offer,” Starmer said. “We have huge new investments from Nvidia N scale, Open AI, Google, Salesforce and many more backing cutting-edge British jobs for years to come.” TRUMP HEADS TO UK FOR RARE SECOND STATE VISIT, THEN TO ARIZONA FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S FUNERAL The plan will accumulate $50 billion in economic value and will deliver power to as many as 1.5 million homes, according to Trump.  Trump also touted the close relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. during a state dinner at Windsor Castle with members of the U.K.’s royal family, including King Charles III.  “His Majesty spoke eloquently about the bond which inspired Sir Winston Churchill — the bust is in the Oval Office right now — the beautiful bust of Winston Churchill, to coin the phrase ‘special relationship,’ but seen from American eyes, the word ‘special’ does not begin to do it justice,” Trump said Wednesday. “We’re joined by history and fate, by love and language and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry and destiny.” TRUMP EYES REMARKS AT CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL IN ARIZONA, BLAMES LEFT FOR SUSPECT’S RADICALIZATION Trump arrived back in Washington later Thursday and will leave for Kirk’s memorial service Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The venue holds 63,400 people and has the capacity for up to 73,000 for “mega-events,” according to its website. Kirk, 31, was killed during a stop on his American Comeback Tour Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University. Kirk’s death has also raised questions about Trump’s own security, amid two assassination attempts on Trump’s life in 2024.  A senior administration official confirmed to Fox News Digital Friday that federal law enforcement agencies like the Department of Homeland Security released a report Thursday cautioning that they are monitoring “several threats of unknown credibility” against Trump, Vice President JD Vance and others expected to attend Kirk’s memorial service.  TRUMP’S SECURITY UNDER SCRUTINY AS SECRET SERVICE BRACES FOR KIRK MEMORIAL  The assessment asserts that the memorial may be an attractive target for violent extremists or lone wolf actors due to the significant media coverage it’s expected to attract. Meanwhile, Trump said he likely will share some remarks during the memorial service.  “It’s going to be big,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I’m going to be at the stadium, and I guess I’ll say a few words. I don’t know, but I guess I will, but I knew him very well. He was an amazing guy. He was all about young people and getting them started.” Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

Senior Republican says he’ll ‘miss the clowns,’ not ‘the circus’ as he eyes life after Congress

Senior Republican says he’ll ‘miss the clowns,’ not ‘the circus’ as he eyes life after Congress

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, believes there are just four ways people end their time on Capitol Hill. “You can die, you can lose, you can get indicted, or you can go out on top, and that’s door number four,” he told Fox News Digital. “And I think door number four looks attractive.” And for McCaul, going out on top means ending a career of over two decades serving Texas’ 10th congressional district. He’s served two three-term stints as the top Republican on the committees on Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security, respectively – the maximum allowed time for members of the House GOP conference. He is not running again in the November midterms. The Texas Republican, who will be 64 when he leaves Congress at the end of 2026, is still hoping to have an impact on the U.S. national security sphere when he’s gone. HOUSE PASSES TRUMP-BACKED PLAN TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN He told Fox News Digital that he’s expressed interest to the Trump administration about potentially serving as U.S. ambassador to Australia. “Being ambassador to Australia, I think would be a very good fit for me – after AUKUS, do what I did there, AI, advanced weapons systems – stuff I’ve worked on could play well both as ambassador, but also on a board of directors of a company that does that,” McCaul said. AUKUS refers to a trilateral security agreement between the U.S., U.K. and Australia, widely seen as a response to China’s encroachment in the Pacific. McCaul was one of AUKUS’s lead champions in Congress both as Foreign Affairs Committee chair and co-chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus. 58 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST RESOLUTION HONORING ‘LIFE AND LEGACY’ OF CHARLIE KIRK “I think I’d be good at it. I mean, I know all the players,” he said of a potential ambassadorship. “I know their issues. But in the meantime, these offers are coming in – I’ve got a year and a half still around. I’ll figure it out.” He said of other post-Congress possibilities, “Most of the offers, they’re in the national security space.” “I’ve had several offers in the intelligence space as well. So I’d still be in it. There are a couple of think tanks where you still get on television. I could still be a relevant voice on the issues I care about. And in a way, I can focus more about what I’m passionate on, and be a voice for that, rather than being bogged down with a lot of other stuff.” He’s worked on a lot of those issues that he cares about over his 20-plus years in Congress, as well. “It’s been an honor of a lifetime – chairing Homeland Security during one of the most dangerous times with the rise of the ISIS caliphate and all the external operations that we want to stop, establishing the cybersecurity agency. I did TSA PreCheck and Global Entry – those were fun things to work on. But then, as the chairman of Foreign Affairs, working on very big foreign policy issues like the fall of Afghanistan,” McCaul said.  “Everything I’ve done with Ukraine after [Russian President Vladimir Putin] invaded – that emergency wartime supplemental bill was probably the highlight, because had we not passed that, I think Russia would be occupying Ukraine today, and they’d be in Moldova and Georgia and maybe threatening the Baltic States and Poland.” The senior lawmaker has been a leading voice on foreign policy in a Republican Party that’s seen a growing isolationist streak – something McCaul said concerned him. “I think it’s a very dangerous mentality. It didn’t work in 1939, and there are a lot of parallels to 1939 today. Now, I think burden sharing, that’s real. I think, you know, having NATO standing up – I think [President Donald Trump] is right about that. I think he wants other NATO countries to do secondary sanctions, and it should be a team effort,” he said. “But I think there are certain people in the administration that are very much – the America First I agree with, but it’s not at the expense of abdicating our responsibility to lead the world. And I think that’s dangerous if that’s what they think America First is all about.” Asked if he had any regrets over his time in Congress, McCaul said he was proud of his work on Capitol Hill.  “There was a time when, you know, there was a Senate possibility, but I wouldn’t trade what I have done for anything,” he said. “I feel very at peace with this, because I feel like I’m going out on top. I’ve chaired two major committees. I’ve been effective. There’s a good expression – I’ll miss the clowns, but I won’t miss the circus.”