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. Central Command’s Chief Technology Officer Schuyler Moore (left) and Army Sgt. Mickey Reeve (right) brief reportres at the Pentagon, Dec. 7. 2022. (Photo by Jon Harper)

Centcom to test new counter-drone training software at Red Sands

Weapons

(Getty Images)

Gen. Berger: Troops need to turn off their smartphones so they don’t get killed

IT

A MANTAS T-12 unmanned surface vessel (USV), front, operates alongside Royal Bahrain Naval Force fast-attack craft RBNS Abdul Rahman Al-fadel during exercise New Horizon in the Arabian Gulf, Oct. 26, 2021. Exercise New Horizon was U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Task Force 59’s first at-sea evolution since its establishment Sept. 9, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dawson Roth)

Navy to establish additional unmanned task forces inspired by Task Force 59

AI

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman sign a declaration of intent at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Simi Valley, California, Dec. 3, 2022. (Photo by Jon Harper)

DOD, SBA ink new Small Business Investment Company agreement to support critical technology

R&D

cloud, data, storage, cloud computing — (Getty Images)

Senior DOD IT official sees challenges for JWCC implementation

Cyber

Members of the Peoples Liberation Army band are seated during the Opening Ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at The Great Hall of People on October 16, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Pentagon report warns that China may wield AI to enhance ‘cognitive domain operations’

AI

A lethal miniature aerial missile system flies during an exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 2, 2020. (Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Tyler Forti)

Army conducting market research for kamikaze drones

Weapons

Various unmanned systems sit on display in Manama, Bahrain, Nov. 19, prior to exercise Digital Horizon 2022. The three-week unmanned and artificial intelligence integration event, beginning Nov. 23, will involve employing new platforms in the region for the first time. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brandon Murphy)

Navy looking to add vendors to $982M IDIQ contract vehicle for unmanned systems tech

Weapons

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) questions Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on July 9, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images)

HASC lawmaker Seth Moulton urges faster adoption — and more restraint — of military AI

AI