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

Defense Threat Reduction Agency test personnel prepare to carefully offload the 30,000-pound massive ordnance penetrator, or MOP, for a static test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. (DTRA photo)

Air Force taps ARA to develop Next Generation Penetrator prototypes

Weapons

Space Development Agency Director Derek Tournear is interviewed by DefenseScoop Managing Editor Jon Harper at DefenseTalks, Sept. 15, 2022.

Derek Tournear departs as Space Development Agency director

Space

U.S. Army Soldiers, assigned to the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, and the Artificial Intelligence Integration Center, conduct drone test flights and software troubleshooting during Allied Spirit 24 at the Hohenfels Training Area, Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Germany, March 6, 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Micah Wilson)

Software repository gives warfighters access to mission-critical apps on demand

IT

707th Communications Squadron client system technicians update software for computers that will be used on Air Force networks at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alexandre Montes)

New Air Force strategy looks to increase adoption of commercial networking tech

IT

U.S. President Donald Trump calls on a reporter during a cabinet meeting with members of his administration in the Cabinet Room of the White House on August 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump announces U.S. Space Command HQ will move from Colorado to Alabama

Space

The 805th Combat Training Squadron and members of industry gather to participate in the second Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming wargame in July 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Debora Henley.)

AI tools accelerated battle management decisions during latest Air Force DASH wargame

AI

A signage of Microsoft is seen on March 13, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

Pentagon terminates use of China-based engineers to support cloud systems

Cyber

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

General Atomics begins flight tests for Air Force CCA drone program

Weapons

U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program launched the USSF-36 mission carrying the U.S. Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) spacecraft, at 11:50 p.m. EST (8:50 p.m. PST) into orbit Aug. 21 from historic Launch Complex (LC)-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. (Photo credit: SpaceX)

Pentagon launches secretive X-37B space plane for new mission

Emerging Tech