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

Crews unload a containerized nuclear power reactor at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Feb. 15, 2026. (Courtesy photo by Tech. Sgt. William McCalmant)

Army to host nuclear microreactors at Forts Bragg, Campbell, Hood, Benning and Drum

Emerging Tech

U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Patrol and Reconnaissance (VP) 26 prepare to load a Mark 54 lightweight torpedo onto a P-8A Poseidon on Kadena Air Base, Japan, June 5, 2026. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William Bennett IV)

Navy seeks to prototype air-launched torpedo system for Silent Anvil program

Weapons

Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao boards Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) to observe Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) rigging and extrication training on Aug. 6, 2026. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class August Clawson)

Navy boss launches defense industrial base office

Tech

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zackary Cowher, Cyber Capabilities Developer Technician for Multi-Domain Command – Europe, uploads configuration files to an autonomous land-based vehicle equipped with a tethered UAS quadcopter during Arcane Thunder 26 at Fort Irwin, California, April 18, 2026. (Photo by Master Sgt. John Healy)

U.S. military gearing up for unmanned ground vehicle demo

Tech

Hung Cao, Acting Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), speaks to the crew of Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) during an all-hands call on the flight deck, Aug. 7, 2026. SECNAV was recently in San Diego visiting various commands to speak with Sailors and their families, focusing on his top priority, “taking care of our people.” (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Pheona David)

Navy secretary warns of ‘coordinated, multi-domain’ campaign against personnel and installations

Cyber

U.S. Army Capt. Alex Bayer, mechanized infantry company commander in the 4th Infantry Division, coordinates with her unit on a Next Generation Command and Control end-user device during Project Convergence-Capstone 6 (PC-C6) at Fort Irwin, California, July 24, 2026. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Nathan Arellano Tlaczani)

GAO warns information gaps could hinder Army’s battlefield network modernization plans

Tech

Hanwha K9MH (Image courtesy of Hanwha Defense USA)

Hanwha captures Army contract for mobile tactical cannons and expects to deliver first prototype this fall

Weapons

U.S. Army Green Berets assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), survey the terrain during military mountaineering training as part of Exercise Diesel 26 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, Feb. 24, 2026. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rhianna Ballenger)

SOCOM planning to test new mission autonomy software for unmanned systems program

AI

During the first Continuous Operational Learning and Test (COLT) mission at Camp Beauregard, LA, a Soldier from Sioux Company (Multi-Purpose Company), 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, leveraged the Soldier Borne Mission Command Surrogate (SBMC-S) system to communicate with fellow Soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Zach Montanaro, PEO Soldier Public Affairs)

Anduril redesigns tech for Army’s Soldier Borne Mission Command program

Tech