A new Pentagon report notes a sudden increase in the number of foreign attempts to obtain US military technology. Companies and governments from a total of 63 nations, many of them allies, have been detected spying on US defense contractors. Targets include information technology, sensors, lasers, aerospace systems, weapons, energetic materials, and electronics. Components and subsystems are a specific target, indicating that the espionage is aimed at upgrading existing weapons and equipment.--Stephen V Cole