Jon Harper

Jon Harper is Editor-in-Chief of DefenseScoop. He leads an award-winning team of journalists in providing breaking news and in-depth analysis on military technology and the ways in which it is shaping how the Defense Department operates and modernizes. You can also follow him on X: @Jon_Harper_

Articles by Author

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Navy to use underwater drones to help clear Iranian mines from Strait of Hormuz

Tech

Coast Guard members conduct Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) training aboard Cutter Robert Ward (WPC 1130) off the coast of San Pedro, Dec. 18, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Roberto Nieves)

Coast Guard wants contractors to provide and operate drone services from cutters, shore-based sites

Tech

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 95th Clearance Company, 84th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, conduct live-fire and breach training during a demolition range on Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, March 26, 2026. The training enhanced Soldiers’ proficiency in obstacle reduction and explosive breaching, strengthening combat readiness and engineer capabilities in support of operations across the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Devin Davis)

Army eyeing automated target recognition tech to detect explosive hazards, battlefield obstacles

AI

(Photo courtesy of U.S. Central Command)

Centcom commander says ‘hundreds’ of U.S. drones are involved in Iran war

Weapons

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Pentagon requests more than $20B for strategic capital loan program in 2027

Tech

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Marc Andersen: The CFO Fueling the Army’s Transformation

AI

US President Donald Trump leaves after announcing the US Navy’s new Golden Fleet initiative, unveiling a new class of warships, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 22, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

Trump’s 2027 budget request includes more than $65B for Navy shipbuilding

Tech

A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) maneuvers in the Atlantic Ocean during UNITAS 2025, the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

Navy looking to emulate signals on maritime drones to train systems for Pacific Fleet

Tech

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Pentagon preparing for drone swarm ‘crucible’

AI