Mikayla Easley

Mikayla Easley reports on the Pentagon’s acquisition and use of emerging technologies. Prior to joining DefenseScoop, she covered national security and the defense industry for National Defense Magazine. She received a BA in Russian language and literature from the University of Michigan and a MA in journalism from the University of Missouri. You can follow her on Twitter @MikaylaEasley

Articles by Author

YFQ-42 aircraft sit on the flightline at a California test location as part of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft flight test campaign. (Courtesy Air Force photo)

Air Force begins testing mission autonomy package for CCA prototypes

Emerging Tech

Concept art for the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM). (Image courtesy of Raytheon Technologies)

Pentagon taps 6 vendors for accelerated hypersonics R&D

Weapons

Rendering of imaging satellites (Credit: HEO)

NRO awards first 3 vendors to new commercial imagery contract vehicle

Space

A YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft takes off during flight testing at a California test location. (Courtesy photo)

Marine Corps brings General Atomics into CCA program for autonomy development

Weapons

A pair of Ray-Ban Meta 2nd generation smart glasses is seen on display during the Meta Connect Developer Conference at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California on September 27, 2023. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Air Force bans Meta AI glasses over OPSEC concerns, while other services’ policies vary

AI

A Standard Missile-3 Block IIA is fired from a Vertical Launching System on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam as part of Flight Experiment Mission-02, on December 10, 2024. (courtesy photo/released)

DIU looks to prototype affordable fire-control sensors for enhanced missile defense

Space

An Extended Range Attack Munition live-fire test was conducted Jan. 22, 2025 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. (Air Force photo)

Air Force conducts live test of low-cost cruise missile developed for Ukraine

Weapons

Maj. Gen. Luke Cropsey speaks about the future of the DAF BATTLE NETWORK during the Accelerating Decision Superiority: Harnessing Data and AI for Mission Readiness panel as part of the Air, Space and Cyber Conference, here, Sept. 23, 2025. (Air Force Photo by Richard Blumenstein).

Cropsey confirmed as Air Force acquisition military deputy

Emerging Tech

Chad Sherod, 319th Security Forces Squadron lead sUAS instructor, extends his hand to catch a descending drone April 7, 2023, on Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. The 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron plans to implement the use of drones within their disaster recovery team in the event of an aircraft crash or natural disaster. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Colin Perkins)

Air Force creates task force to improve counter-drone tactics at bases

Emerging Tech