Pentagon Builds Legion of 'Hacker Soldiers'

(NEWSER) - Major defense contractors are already staffed with "hacker soldiers" who can help them earn billions of dollars in Washington's new cyberwar, the New York Times reports. Cranking rock tunes and piling up pop cans, engineers hack away at companies like Raytheon, working for the Pentagon or protecting internal documents. Now, with President Obama seeking a new cyberwar command, the rush for government contracts is on. More»

Smaller budgets can lead to leaner procurement process: Arthur Herman

(NEWSER) - Arthur Herman hopes the move toward smaller defense budgets will end at long last the Pentagon's bloated, wasteful, and outdated method of buying weapons and equipment. The system dates back to the days of "vacuum tubes and hi-fi sets" and it's precisely why an F-18 costs $90 million instead of $18 million, writes the American Enterprise Institute scholar at the Wall Street Journal . More»

When officers retire, the vast majority pick up lucrative consulting jobs

(NEWSER) - For America's military generals, retirement is when the real money starts pouring in. It's no secret that former officers often show up on the payrolls of defense contractors, but a Boston Globe investigation into what it terms the "rent-a-general" business puts some eyebrow-raising numbers to the trend: 80% of retiring three- and four-star officers went to work as consultants or defense executives in 2004-'08. That's up from 50% a decade ago. More»

Asperger's sufferer accused of cracking Pentagon systems

(NEWSER) - American authorities keen to get their hands on a man accused of the biggest military hack in history are going to have to wait. British authorities have "stopped the clock" on the extradition of Gary McKinnon while lawyers examine new medical evidence, say officials. McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, is accused of hacking into dozens of military computers. McKinnon, 43, says he was searching for information on UFOs. More»

Military unit will complement Obama's new civilian office

(NEWSER) - The Pentagon is pushing ahead with a new military command devoted to cyberspace as the armed forces ramp up abilities to not only defend against computer attacks but launch them as well, the New York Times reports. The new command will work in concert with a civilian organization, which President Obama will unveil today, devoted to revamping the security of America's computer networks for stock exchanges, air traffic control, and other cyber infrastructure. The White House office will be run by an as-yet unnamed "cyberczar." More»