All posts tagged: defense

Researchers discover DNA’s hidden defense against UV radiation

Researchers discover DNA’s hidden defense against UV radiation

Published by Jenni Sidey

DNA sits in sunlight every day, absorbing ultraviolet radiation that can set off the kind of chemical changes linked to mutations, aging, and cancer. Yet most of the time, the molecule avoids catastrophe. New simulations suggest that this resilience depends not on one built-in escape route, but on a crowded, ultrafast network of molecular reactions. These reactions can dump harmful energy almost as soon as it appears. The research focused on guanine and cytosine, two of DNA’s four chemical bases, arranged in short stacked segments that mimic key features of the double helix. By tracking their behavior at the atomic scale, the team found that once UV energy enters the system, the excited state quickly shifts into charge-transfer arrangements. Then, it relaxes through several competing pathways, many involving tightly linked movements of electrons and protons. That picture is more complicated than the simpler models that have often dominated the field. Instead of following a single preferred track, the excited DNA fragments explored multiple routes back to stability. Often, this happened within femtoseconds. Each one of …

Dell wins a .7 billion Pentagon software deal after cozying to Trump

Dell wins a $9.7 billion Pentagon software deal after cozying to Trump

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth looks on during a press briefing at the Pentagon on May 5, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images The Department of Defense on Wednesday announced a five-year, roughly $9.7 billion deal with Dell to provide a suite of software to the U.S. military. The award, known as the Microsoft Department of War Enterprise Software Agreement II Core Enterprise Technology Agreement, calls for Dell to provide Microsoft 365, advanced cloud subscriptions and on-premises licensing capability. Dell Federal Systems, a unit of the company dedicated to serving government, won the contract after a competitive process, Defense Department Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davies and acting Navy Chief Information Officer Barry Tanner told reporters at a Wednesday briefing at the Pentagon. It comes after Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, pledged $6.25 billion last year to fund investment accounts for children known as “Trump accounts.” Dell is a major buyer of Windows PC licenses, and it has a long-running partnership with Microsoft. “The vendors were all evaluated based …

Norway joins France’s nuclear deterrence club – POLITICO

Norway joins France’s nuclear deterrence club – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Russia’s largest nuclear arsenal is located in the High North, just a few kilometers from Norway,” he said, adding that Norway would continue to primarily rely on NATO for its security. On March 2, the French president announced that Germany, Poland, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden had agreed to discuss nuclear cooperation with Paris. That could include joint nuclear drills, information sharing and, ultimately, the potential temporary deployment of French nuclear-capable Rafale fighter jets in allied countries — a concept the French called “forward nuclear deterrence.” Since then, highly classified talks about exactly what the cooperation will entail have already begun with some nations, two officials told POLITICO. On Wednesday, Paris and Oslo also signed a wide-ranging bilateral defense and security deal — dubbed the Narvik agreement — that includes a mutual assistance clause, more dialogue between their armed forces and cooperation on air defense, space and Arctic security, Macron said. In the past few years, the French president has sought to increase his country’s defense ties with Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland …

Trump opposes Russia or China taking Iran’s highly enriched uranium

Trump opposes Russia or China taking Iran’s highly enriched uranium

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 27, 2026. Evan Vucci | Reuters President Donald Trump on Wednesday poured cold water on the prospect of Iran transferring its store of highly enriched uranium to Russia or China as part of any deal to end the war with the U.S. “No, I wouldn’t be comfortable” with that arrangement, Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. The Kremlin, which has the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, has previously said it would accept Iran’s enriched uranium to help facilitate a peace deal. China has also been speculated to be willing to take in that material, news outlets have reported. Trump declared in a Truth Social post Monday that Iran’s enriched uranium will be destroyed, either in the U.S., in the Islamic republic itself, or “at another acceptable location.” The comments at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting came as the U.S. and Iran continue to signal they are working toward at least …

Zelenskyy pleads with Trump for Patriots to fight Russian bombardment – POLITICO

Zelenskyy pleads with Trump for Patriots to fight Russian bombardment – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

U.S.-made PAC-3 interceptor missiles used in the American Patriot system are currently the country’s best defense against Russian ballistic missiles, although it hopes to develop its own ballistic missile defenses. The second Trump administration has dragged its feet on providing Kyiv with Patriot missiles, leaving Kyiv in a bind as its supplies dwindle. The U.S.-Israeli war in Iran has further threatened Ukraine’s supply, as the two countries and other U.S. allies in the region burn through hundreds of PAC-3 interceptors. In Monday’s letter, the Ukrainian leader acknowledged the “high demand” for Patriot missiles in other regions, and accedes to the longtime Trump position that Europe must “take on a greater role” in its own security. He praised U.S. weapons systems and jets in glowing terms and expressed gratitude for their delivery to Ukraine. Over the weekend, more than 90 missiles were launched at Ukraine, and on Monday, the Kremlin warned foreign diplomats that it would continue bombing Kyiv. Russian ballistic missiles are Putin’s “last major advantage on the battlefield,” Zelenskyy wrote. “They can be intercepted. …

UK spy chief warns of rising Russia, China threat to the West

UK spy chief warns of rising Russia, China threat to the West

Published by Sam Flores

Anne Keast-Butler, director of GCHQ, pictured during CYBERUK 2024 on May 14, 2024, in Birmingham, England. Matthew Horwood for CYBERUK | Getty Images News | Getty Images Britain and its allies have a “narrowing window” to keep ahead of security risks posed by China, Russia and other adversaries, the U.K.’s top intelligence agent will warn on Wednesday. In a rare public speech, Anne Keast-Butler, the director of GCHQ — the U.K.’s intelligence, cyber and security agency — will say Britain is at a “moment of consequence,” with the country facing increasingly brazen behavior from hostile nations. “China is now a science and tech superpower with sophisticated capabilities across their intelligence, cyber and military agencies,” Keast-Butler is set to say, according to excerpts from the speech released ahead of time by her office. “The ground beneath our feet is shifting,” as AI continues to develop swiftly, she will say, with new technologies creating a “narrowing window for the U.K. and allies to stay ahead.” Earlier this month, two men became the first in history to be found …

Putin’s message finds a home on French TV  – POLITICO

Putin’s message finds a home on French TV  – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

French operation In a memoir published last year, Fedorova mentions her “deeply personal” bond with Ukraine, where both her parents were born when it was still part of the Soviet Union. She grew up partly in Austria, where her widowed mother — whom she describes as a former journalist-turned-entrepreneur — emigrated with her seven children to escape the chaos that followed the collapse of the Iron Curtain. Fedorova said she had first considered a career in diplomacy and studied international relations before deciding to turn to journalism. Her international background and language skills — Russian, German, English and some French, which she studied in Paris for several months — landed her a job with RT, where she rose quickly through the ranks. Aged 37 at the time of RT France’s launch, Fedorova had spent much of her career inside the RT group, working in Moscow and Berlin before being tapped to lead the French operation. Encouraged by Simonyan, she became the outlet’s president and editorial director, building its newsroom, overseeing operations and shaping the channel’s …

EU’s intelligence hub eyes bigger role in security overhaul – POLITICO

EU’s intelligence hub eyes bigger role in security overhaul – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

INTCEN has no operational espionage capabilities of its own; instead, it analyzes intelligence shared voluntarily by EU countries and passes its assessments to senior officials in the EEAS, the Commission and the European Council. The renewed attention lends fresh weight to a unit often dismissed as toothless — and comes as officials in Brussels and national capitals have floated the question of whether the EU needs its own spy agency. The EU’s new European Security Strategy, which is being drafted by the Commission and the EEAS, should be published this summer. It is expected to use an expansive definition of security that goes beyond defense to include economic security, supply chains, preparedness and partnerships with countries outside the EU, a fourth person briefed on the strategy told POLITICO. The document, which has been advertised as a “grand strategy,” is expected to be short and to include a geopolitical threat assessment, a status report on European security, and a roadmap for future action, the person said. The roadmap will propose up to 10 major ideas for …

Latvia’s PM-designate unveils new coalition government after drone crisis – POLITICO

Latvia’s PM-designate unveils new coalition government after drone crisis – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Kulbergs himself would become prime minister, while the coalition also hands key portfolios to figures from across Latvia’s fragmented political spectrum, including former Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis as finance minister and National Alliance heavyweight Ilze Indriksone as education minister. Foreign Minister Baiba Braže is set to remain in office, while Colonel Raivis Melnis has been tapped for defense minister — a controversial move that would initially place an active-duty military officer in charge of the armed forces. Melnis has since pledged to leave the military before parliament votes on the cabinet. He praised Melnis’ direct experience working with Ukraine, particularly on drone warfare. “No one in the world right now is as prepared with defense solutions for what currently threatens us most — drones,” Kulbergs said. The new government comes following the collapse of the previous administration, led by center-right Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, earlier in May, after political backlash erupted over two stray Ukrainian drones that struck Latvian oil facilities. The incident intensified broader fears across the Baltics about drone spillover from the war …

UK defense minister’s plane has signal jammed near Russian border – POLITICO

UK defense minister’s plane has signal jammed near Russian border – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The incident was first reported by The Times, which said it was unclear whether the defense minister was deliberately targeted, but indicated the jet’s flight path was visible on tracking websites. According to the Financial Times, after its signal was jammed, Healey’s plane spent three hours flying without access to GPS or the internet. There have been several recent instances of interference with Western planes linked to Russia. A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was allegedly impacted by GPS interference last September, but there were contradictory accounts of what exactly took place. Flights in the eastern Baltic Sea region have also experienced GPS disturbances linked to Russia. Ukraine has said that Kremlin jamming operations have led several of its drones to enter EU airspace. Last week two Russian warplanes intercepted a British spy plane over the Black Sea. At the time, Healey said the incident was “another example of dangerous and unacceptable behavior by Russian pilots.” He added that the Russian interception “will not deter the UK’s commitment to defend NATO, …