J.D. Simkins
Executive Editor
J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
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All Stories By J.D.
US Navy taps Gecko Robotics to help remedy maintenance headaches
Gecko deploys AI and robotics on 18 ships assigned to the Navy’s U.S. Pacific Fleet
Blacklists, corruption and frontline needs: Ukraine tackles an arms-export puzzle
After years of struggling to arm its one million active-duty soldiers, Kyiv has been wary of allowing its domestic producers to sell their weapons abroad.
AI tool has ‘saved a lot of aircraft’ in Epic Fury, AFSOC chief says
Lt. Gen. Michael Conley said “necessity had been the mother of invention” in spurring the service to apply available machine learning tools in combat.
Pentagon reaches agreements with defense firms on containerized missiles
The Pentagon is announcing framework agreements with Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5 to acquire over 10,000 containerized missiles.
Marines mandate servicewide AI training by year’s end
The Marine Corps will require all Marines to complete a basic artificial intelligence course by the end of the year.
The shape of shipbuilding for the US Navy | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 5.12.26
Prominent shipbuilders lay out their ideas for meeting the U.S. Navy’s demand for faster production at Sea-Air-Space 2026. Plus, Anduril’s new subsea drone.
The need for speed in shipbuilding: manufacturers look to meet demand
Shipbuilders Hanwha and HII lay out their offerings and strategies for providing more ships to the Navy at a recent conference.
An underwater long-haul truck? A look at Anduril’s Dive-XL
To move large payloads underwater autonomously, Anduril has been working a new system called the Dive-XL, in connection with Australia’s Ghost Shark program.
Military appreciation month deals| MOAA updates
Updates from the Military Officers Association of America highlight May deals for troops and veterans, and news for service-connected spouses.
Say hello to this lightweight autonomous surface vessel
Looking to offer defense and civilian organizations a new way to map and search waterways, EvoLogics shows off the Sonobot 5.
