Some of the most important decisions about technology are made in secret: in weapons labs, intelligence agencies, and defense contracts that the public only learns about years later, if at all. This page collects our reports on military technology, surveillance, cyber attacks and the race for artificial intelligence, and on the documents, leaks and hearings that bring them to light. Every story links to its original source, so you can read it yourself.
Why secrecy matters here
Many technologies we use every day began as military projects. The Pentagon’s research agency DARPA, founded in 1958 after the Soviet Sputnik launch, funded the ARPANET, the forerunner of the internet, and early work on satellite navigation, drones, and self-driving cars. What is being built in those labs today often shapes the world a decade later.
Secrecy also hides abuse. In June 2013, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency was collecting phone records of millions of Americans and tapping data from large internet companies. A U.S. appeals court later ruled the phone records program illegal. Since then, leaks, court cases, and official reports keep showing how far surveillance reaches, from spyware on journalists’ phones to hacks of telecom networks by foreign intelligence services.
Today the questions are about artificial intelligence in war, missile defense in space, hypersonic weapons and the security of power grids and communication networks. Governments now sign large contracts with AI companies for military and classified work, and rival powers accuse each other of hacking critical infrastructure. Much of this is decided with little public debate.
How we cover tech and military secrets
- Documents first. We link the contract, court filing, official report or leaked document wherever there is one.
- Claims are marked as claims. Accusations by governments, companies or whistleblowers are reported as accusations until they are confirmed.
- No speculation as fact. When a capability is only announced or planned, we say so.
Primary sources
- DARPA, U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: research programs and announcements
- U.S. Department of Defense contracts: daily list of all contracts worth 7.5 million dollars or more
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence: annual threat assessments and declassified reports
- CISA cybersecurity advisories: official warnings about cyberattacks on critical infrastructure
