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

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

(Getty Images)

DIA’s artificial intelligence chief envisions ‘agent-to-agents’ interactions that support military operations

AI

The DF-17 hypersonic medium range conventional ballistic missile model was exhibited at the Hangzhou Innovation Research Institute of Beihang University in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China on May 10, 2026. (Photo credit: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

MDA pursuing mobile radar to detect and track hypersonic missiles, other advanced threats

Tech

While developing Odyssey, NPS computer science student U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Kyle Hicks turned to AI to write most of the code powering the application. Hicks’ Odyssey exemplifies the broader applications of AI in the U.S. Department of War, supporting the day-to-day work of service members across the force, from writing awards to managing projects to analyzing data. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Katherine Eldridge)

Marine Corps tees up hackathon featuring GenAI.mil

AI

A plane flies over The Pentagon (front) with the US Capitol (C, background) in Washington, DC, on January 11, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

Navy considers relocating robotic and autonomous systems staff amid broader portfolio restructuring

Tech