Today's Headlines and Commentary

More from Snowden’s Treasure Trove: apparently, the NSA is trying to build a quantum computer “that could break nearly every kind of encryption used to protect banking, medical, business and government records around the world.” What exactly is a quantum computer?  The Post got some MIT scientists to answer the inevitable questions. The Pentagon released a report yesterday on developments in drone technology. The 25-year roadmap looks to ways that will make drones more effective and affordable. Part of the way that the DoD envisions cost cutting is reducing the necessity for command pilots: the drones will become more autonomous, and will be able to deviate from preprogrammed maps in order to better pursue a target:

The future of autonomous systems is characterized as a movement beyond autonomous mission execution to autonomous mission performance. The difference between execution and performance is that the former simply executes a preprogrammed plan whereas performance is associated with mission outcomes that can vary even during a mission and require deviation from preprogrammed tasks.

The report includes other developments, like the ability for drones to travel in “swarms”, the ability to self-destruct, and equipping drones with chemical weapons. The United States has ordered an evacuation of all staff from its embassy in South Sudan. The embassy has also urged all U.S. citizens in the country to leave. Africa’s youngest country has been riddled with civil conflict and violence for the past weeks. If you’re at all confused as to what’s going on in South Sudan, here’s a great breakdown of the crisis. From The Telegraph: Secretary of State John Kerry is back in Israel---for the tenth time in ten months---to continue to facilitate the ongoing peace process between Israel and Palestine. Kerry says he believes that leaders on both sides have to make “tough choices” if they are going to make a real effort at lasting peace; but he seems optimistic that a draft agreement between the two sides might emerge soon. Meanwhile, in Israel, worries grow that former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s days are numbered. Sharon has been in a coma since 2006, but his health has taken a turn for the worse in the past week. The Post tells us why Sharon matters, and what his death might mean for the ongoing peace process. The Wall Street Journal reports that “U.S. officials believe members of Hezbollah, the militant group backed by Iran, are smuggling advanced guided-missile systems into Lebanon from Syria piece by piece to evade a secretive Israeli air campaign designed to stop them.” A U.S. military ship designated to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal is reportedly ready and set to go. The problem: no one has told the Cape Ray when and where it will be deployed to carry out its task. Politico has a lengthy piece on how and why President Obama’s Syria policy fell apart. Two Americans have been detained in Benghazi, according to a Libyan security official. The two are said to be basketball players, who play for the city's al-Helal team. There isn’t much more information available yet---like who the two alleged Americans are or why they were detained. There has been more violence and al-Qaeda activity in Iraq. Militants affiliated with the terrorist organization took over mosque loudspeakers---usually used for the adhan---in Falluja and Ramadi, to call people to arms and join in their struggle. The militants also caused chaos in the cities, setting fire to police stations and freeing prisoners from jail. And, more on bitcoin usage. Bitcoin has officially entered the world of political campaigns. Rep Steve Stockman  (R-Texas) is accepting bitcoin donations to support his Senate run, though the FEC has not approved using the currency for campaigns. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.