The Pentagon needs to build a bridge back to the technological innovators in the United States, a community that used to have a much closer connection to the Defense Department, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday at an Atlantic magazine event in Washington, D.C. Although most of the technology “of consequence” is developed within the US military and national security community, a lot of it is commercial and global, noted Carter. “We’re still a big force, but I have to recognize that a lot of technology is commercial and global and a lot of our innovators are outside of our walls,” he added. “A lot of our innovators don’t know all of us, have never worked with us, even have an uneasy relationship with us.” Through initiatives such as the Defense Digital Service and Defense Innovation Unit-Experimental is aimed at “bringing people in from the outside” and building a bridge back to the Pentagon. One key way to do that is to get people “inspired” by the mission of national defense and service, Carter said.
Air Force Designates New Northrop CCA as YFQ-48A
Dec. 22, 2025
The Air Force has given Northrop Grumman’s new Project Talon aircraft—an option for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program—the official designation of YFQ-48A, the service announced Dec. 22.
