NEXT MONTH.

Carrier Capabilities

* Over budget and oft-delayed, the USS Gerald Ford is finally at sea. What does the newest carrier bring to the Navy?

Army Modernization

* Army Futures Command has a new leader in place and is receiving more scrutiny than ever as it continues its quest to modernize the service's technology.

CMMC

* A year after the Pentagon released its revamped Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification guidelines, how are the standards impacting defense contractors and how they are adapting to compliance challenges?

Middle East Special Ops

* While the U.S. military has deemphasized combating terrorism, it is still a scourge in the Middle East. Special operators there are seeking new tech to help them do their jobs.

Project Convergence

* National Defense travels to Fort Irwin, California, to see how the Army, the other services and international partners plan to execute joint all-domain command and control.

Useful Fiction

* Peter W. Singer, one of the best-known names in warfare...