Lisbeth Perez MeriTalk Lisbeth Perez is a MeriTalk Senior Technology Reporter covering the intersection of government and technology.
Pentagon Releases Second Batch of UAP Files May 22, 2026 | 3:45 pm Newly declassified videos, testimony, and documents offer additional glimpses into decades of UAP encounters, while still leaving the mystery of alien life firmly grounded in speculation. […]
Sandhoo Becomes Permanent SDA Director May 21, 2026 | 1:42 pm Sandhoo, who has served as acting director since September 2025, will lead the Space Development Agency while also serving as Space Force PAE for missile warning and tracking. […]
Luke Air Force Base Expands AI Integration May 20, 2026 | 3:28 pm Task force explores AI tools to improve daily operations, training, and decision-making across the base. […]
Appeals Court Judges Appear Split on Anthropic Case May 20, 2026 | 3:26 pm A federal appeals panel appeared divided over Anthropic’s challenge to the Pentagon’s “supply chain risk” designation, with one judge sharply criticizing the decision and two others expressing skepticism toward the AI company’s legal claims. […]
Pentagon Taps 5 Winners in Drone Dominance Lethality Challenge May 19, 2026 | 3:08 pm The winning companies will move forward as preferred vendors in DOD’s next Drone Dominance Program ‘Gauntlet’ event later this year. […]
DOD IG Says Air Force Improved Cybersecurity at Critical Sites, but Gaps Remain May 19, 2026 | 11:04 am Audit finds unresolved cyber vulnerabilities at Air Force critical infrastructure sites are tied to insufficient staffing and lack of communication. […]
DOD IG Flags Advana Interface Control Weaknesses, Raising Data Accuracy Issues May 18, 2026 | 3:34 pm Inadequate security controls between the Pentagon’s Advana data repository and source systems create operational and security risks, an audit found. […]
Army, Allies Test 20 Counter-Drone Systems in Flytrap Exercise May 15, 2026 | 2:20 pm A recent multinational exercise in Lithuania evaluated more than 20 systems designed to combat unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, to evaluate how emerging counter-UAS capabilities will perform in realistic environments. […]
CBO Estimates Golden Dome Could Cost $1.2 Trillion Over 20 Years May 14, 2026 | 3:17 pm According to a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” initiative could cost as much as $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy, and operate over 20 years, far exceeding the White House’s current $185 billion estimate. […]
Pentagon Taps Joseph Tonon to Lead DCSA May 11, 2026 | 3:12 pm The Department of Defense (DOD) selected Joseph Tonon to serve as the next director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), the agency announced. As director, Tonon will take on the agency’s longstanding challenge to modernize the federal government’s background investigations system. […]