WHY DOES THE MEDIA REPORT ON SECRETIVE DEFENSE PROGRAMS? SHOULD THIS TECH BE CLASSIFIED?

[rebewranger]

WHY DOES THE MEDIA REPORT ON SECRETIVE DEFENSE PROGRAMS? SHOULD THIS TECH BE CLASSIFIED?
Alex Hollings | April 6, 2022

Here at Sandboxx News, we devote a lot of time and effort to analyzing new developments in US defense programs, particularly aviation efforts like the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance and B-21 Raider stealth bomber. But throughout our coverage of these and similar program, one question appears in the comments on social media and beneath articles more than any other: Why are we revealing details from these secretive programs to America’s enemies?

While defense journalists tend to respond to these comments with rolled eyes, that dismissiveness is based on a thorough understanding of the US defense apparatus and the role media plays in geopolitical discourse. From the outside looking in, it’s a pretty reasonable question. After all, national competitors in China, Russia, Iran and elsewhere have access to the same internet that we do (at least, their intelligence agencies do), and surely these nations can leverage the information and analysis presented by writers like me to inform their responses to American defense efforts.
 
National competitors really are paying attention
One thing’s for certain, these nations are paying attention. If you search my name on Google while specifying Russian domains (.ru), you’ll get a long list of Russian-based news outlets discussing my analysis of Russia’s stealth fighter, the Su-57, citing me by name.

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/why-does-the-media-report-on-advanced-defense-programs-should-this-tech-be-a-secret/?msclkid=22a49dbeb69411ec99e95e264bb425d7

[rebewranger]

Does anyone else find it odd that an article about the media printing too much classified material has an article headlined in the article itself about everything we know about the new stealth bomber?

[Kamaji]

We’ve already covered the Civics 101 reasons why the Defense Department and large and small contractors like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Hermeus release information to the public, but there is another important reason lurking just below the surface. Uncle Sam wants his opponents to know what he’s got in the works because that’s the only way new weapons can be an effective deterrent for future aggression.

Bingo!