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

U.S. Marines assigned to Defensive Cyberspace Operations – Internal Defensive Measures Company, 9th Communication Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, review network configurations in the current operations tent at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Oct. 1, 2018. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Cutler Brice)

Marines get the green light to be ‘Phantoms’ at Air Force’s AI accelerator

AI

Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa commander, speaks to the winners of the major command’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2023, during a ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 14, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexandra M. Longfellow)

USAFE commander expects new drones to ‘change quite a few things’ for Air Force readiness

Weapons

KuRFS and Coyote provide the detect and defeat components of the U.S. Army’s counter-UAS solution, called LIDS: the Low, slow, small, unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System. (RTX image)

Pentagon to test whether counter-drone systems can operate effectively under electronic attack

Weapons

U.S. and Canadian service members participate in the third series of Global Information Dominance Experiments (GIDE 3) at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command Headquarters, July 8-16, 2021. (DoD photo by N&C Public Affairs)

Pentagon poised to launch inaugural ‘challenge’ for Global Information Dominance Experiments

AI

A screen displays a map of a simulated conflict during a joint training exercise with NATO partners April 28, 2023 in Blue Ash, Ohio. The Air Force is working to harness emerging information and communications technology and artificial intelligence technologies to provide targeting and decision support with the speed, adaptability, and resilience needed to fight in a highly contested environment. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Shane Hughes)

Air Force issues presolicitation for next-gen target tracking

AI

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Gabriel Schultis, a motor transport operator attached to 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, shoots an M16A4 service rifle during company field exercise 1-23 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Oct. 13, 2022. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Atticus Martinez)

Marines on the hunt for rifle-mounted jammers to defeat enemy drones

Weapons

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) (L) and ranking member Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) talk before a confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Senators amplify concerns about pace of fielding AI-enabled counter-drone systems

AI

The U.S. Marine Corps Headquarters conducted a joint test mission for the XQ-58A on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Feb. 23, 2024. The joint effort focused on the Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer-Portfolio Program (PAACK-P). This test was the result of a collaborative effort between Kratos, the Marine Corps, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)), the Naval Air Systems Command, the Naval Warfare Center Aircraft Division, the 40th Flight Test Squadron and the 96th Test Wing.

Marines release new AI strategy

AI

A NATO banner seen outside the Washington convention center where the NATO summit took place in Washington, DC, July 9-11, 2024. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

NATO looking to bolster data security as leaders gather in Washington

Cyber