DefenceTalkThe interdepartmental state commission investigating the recent Proton-M carrier rocket launch failure has so far found no evidence supporting the theory that it was caused by deliberate misconduct, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said Thursday. “The human factor version, including the possibility of a deliberate violation of production norms, is considered during an investigation into every […]https://www.defencetalk.com/proton-rocket-failure-probe-finds-no-evidence-of-deliberate-misconduct-59739/

DefenceTalkThe use of home-made servers in Beijing’s national banks may prevent inclusion of hidden backdoors that facilitate intelligence gathering by the US National Security Agency, according to expert in the US-China relations, RIA Novosti reports. Chinese government institutions, including the People’s Bank of China and the Ministry of Finance, are reviewing domestic commercial banks’ reliance […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinas-replace-ibm-servers-national-security-59729/

DefenceTalkThe flash memory Solid-State Recorder (SSR) products of Airbus Defense and Space have passed all NASA space qualification test requirements successfully. In addition, the company’s flash-based SSR has exceeded 20 months of operation in orbit onboard SPOT 6, the first commercial satellite to deploy this technology. The Electronics Business Line of Airbus Defense and Space […]https://www.defencetalk.com/fully-qualified-flash-memory-optimizes-satellite-data-storage-59706/

DefenceTalkWith cybersecurity’s most glaring failures in the limelight, many experts say it’s time for a new approach. In recent weeks, the security community has been rocked by news of a massive breach at online giant eBay affecting as many as 145 million customers, following another that hit as many as 110 million at retailer Target. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/cyber-failures-spark-search-for-new-security-approach-59702/

DefenceTalkBeijing summoned the US ambassador and accused Washington of double standards Tuesday as a diplomatic row escalated over the unprecedented indictment of five Chinese military officers for cyber-espionage. The world’s top two economies have long been at loggerheads over hacking and China’s defence ministry denounced Washington’s allegations as “a pure fabrication by the US, a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-bans-win-8-accuses-us-of-hypocrisy-as-cyber-row-grows-59657/

DefenceTalkThis time it is the head of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Dr. Arati Prabhakar, making the same observation as virtually every other senior uniform and civilian leader in the Department of Defense: U.S. weapons systems cost too much. In an interview for the Defense News with Vago Muradian television show, Dr. Prabhakar […]https://www.defencetalk.com/technology-is-not-the-solution-to-the-high-cost-of-weapons-systems-59667/

DefenceTalkA new push to encrypt email, keeping messages free from government snooping, is gaining momentum. One new email service promising “end-to-end” encryption launched on Friday, and others are being developed while major services such as Google Gmail and Yahoo Mail have stepped up security measures. A major catalyst for email encryption were revelations about widespread […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nsa-row-sparks-rush-for-encrypted-email-59615/

DefenceTalkResearchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory continue to develop and evaluate methods for navigation and communication that are ‘hands-free, eyes-free and mind-free’ to aid Soldiers in the field. Soldiers wear a lightweight belt around their torso, containing miniature haptic technology. The belt provides vibratory or tactile cues allowing a Soldier to navigate to map […]https://www.defencetalk.com/researchers-develop-hands-free-eyes-free-navigation-for-soldiers-59604/

DefenceTalkRussia is going to suspend the operation of all American GPS sites on its territory, starting from June 1, said Russia’s deputy PM, Dmitry Rogozin, who is in charge of space and defense industries. “Starting June 1, we will halt the work of those stations on Russian territory,” Rogozin said. Rogozin pointed out that American […]https://www.defencetalk.com/moscow-to-suspend-american-gps-sites-on-russian-territory-from-june-59600/

DefenceTalkA senior Russian official said Tuesday that Russia will only need the International Space Station (ISS) until 2020, as previous plans by Washington to use it until 2024 were thrown into doubt amid the Ukraine crisis. “We are planning to only need the ISS until 2020,” deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin said, Interfax reported. “After […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-to-only-use-iss-until-2020-official-59598/