• Force Protection to upgrade MRAPs

    Providing IED-resistant vehicles — Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP — to the U.S. military is a growing business; South Carolina-based Force Protection, a manufacturer of the Cougar MRAP, upgrades the Cougar’s suspension

  • Taser shows multi-shot stun gun

    The new device is capable of shocking three people without having to reload

  • IBM acquires Ounce Labs

    Securing software code is a growing business, and IBM is buying code security specialist Ounce Labs

  • Northrop Grumman opens new cybersecurity center

    Northrop opens its Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) in suburban Maryland; the center will monitor the company’s more than 105,000 clients and 10,000 servers worldwide; more than 1.5 billion daily cyber events that occur on the Northrop Grumman network

  • Defcon, Black Hat to open this week

    Leading cybersecurity events to open in Las Vegas this week; if you prefer security shows at which the speakers favor black T-shirts and dyed hair over suits and ties, and where goth-attired groupies and script kiddies hunkered over laptops line the hallways at all hours of the night, you should attend

  • Vcom3D's iPod translator device is a valuable tool for U.S. soldiers

    Florida-based Vcom3D developed software which was used in conjunction with Apple’s iPod to teach sign language to hearing-impaired students; now, the U.S. military and UN peacekeepers use the device as an instant translator in war-torn regions

  • U.K. undecided on UAV purchase

    The U.K. Defense Ministry’s Dabinett ISR program has two core elements: One is aimed at better exploiting what is already collected by existing platforms; the other is a “deep and persistent” collection capability-to be addressed by a long-endurance UAV; but which UAV?

  • U.S. Senate ends production of F-22 fighter

    The contentious debate about whether or not to continue production of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-22 fighter jets beyond the 187 now on order has ended: the Senate votes 58-40 for an amendment striking $1.75 billion for seven more F-22s from a defense spending measure

  • EADS wins large Saudi border protection deal

    EADS’s win of the massive Saudi border fencing contract, valued at $2.3-2.8 billion, is part of the defense contractors effort to use homeland security projects as a means to bolster its revenues

  • The business aspects of get-tough immigration policy

    The post-9/11 get-tough policy toward immigration has meant booming business for private prison-management companies; the building of prisons and detention centers is now a much-needed source of income for cash-strapped rural communities

  • U.S. halts uranium mining at Grand Canyon

    The Interior Department has barred the filing of new mining claims, including for uranium, on 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon

  • DARPA awards Cobham $15 million for wireless network

    DARPA awards Cobham a contract calling for the company to develop low-cost wireless network nodes which support adaptation by means of distributed network processing

  • Google, Microsoft promise new age in cyber-security

    Security-conscious consumers are in the habit of regularly updating their antivirus software; this will soon be unnecessary — this, at least, is the promise of both Microsoft and Google; the two companies’ new operating systems will include built-in, continuously updated defenses against viruses and malware

  • Trend: Businesses increasingly rely on SAS for security

    More and more companies have gravitated toward the idea of “software as a service” (SAS) — using software that is delivered remotely instead of hosted on in-house servers; more and more companies are now offering security products as services — but is it the best approach to security?

  • Raytheon wins $155 million wireless contract

    DARPA awards Raytheon $155 million to provide a military wireless network interoperable gateway