Jon Harper

Jon Harper is Managing Editor of DefenseScoop, the Scoop News Group’s online publication focused on the Pentagon and its pursuit of new capabilities. 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 (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) @Jon_Harper_

Articles by Author

U.S. Capitol, Congress — (Getty Images)

Congress to DOD: Explain how you’re going to use and sustain Replicator drones

Weapons

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)

Army proposing 3 systems for 2nd round of Replicator; 1 picked for initial tranche

AI

Illustration of a hypersonic missile (Getty Images)

Navy requesting big boost in funding for HALO air-launched ‘hypersonic’ missile

Weapons

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) listens as Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) speaks during a news conference on the introduction of their Protection from Abusive Passengers Act at the U.S. Capitol Building on April 06, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

SASC chair anticipates push for ‘significant reforms’ in 2025 NDAA to help Pentagon acquire new tech

Emerging Tech

Finnish Marines prepare to board on a Swedish CB90-class fast assault craft ahead of an amphibious assault demonstration during the Nordic Response 24 military exercise on March 10, 2024, at sea near Sorstraumen, above the Arctic Circle in Norway. Nordic Response 24 is part of the larger NATO exercise Steadfast Defender. The exercise involves air, sea, and land forces, with over 100 fighter jets, 50 ships, and over 20,000 troops practicing defensive maneuvres in cold and harsh weather conditions. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)

Latest NATO expansion includes massive increase in DIANA innovation accelerator sites

Emerging Tech

Spc. Layne Alfieri, a soldier assigned to 1st Battalion 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, dons an Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) 1.2 prototype during the IVAS 1.2 Phase One User Assessment held by Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier on Fort Drum, August 22, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Jason Amadi, PEO Soldier Public Affairs)

Army seeks $255M to procure more than 3,000 IVAS augmented reality systems in fiscal 2025

Emerging Tech

Switchblade 600 rendering (AeroVironment image)

Army requesting more than $120M for LASSO kamikaze drones in fiscal 2025

Weapons

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks speaks to members of the media at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 20, 2023. (DoD Photo by U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Jack Sanders)

Hicks: DOD plans to invest about $1B into Replicator initiative in 2024-2025 time frame

Weapons

Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering Heidi Shyu meets with Maj. Grover Smith of the Indiana National Guard during Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) 2023 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. (Defense Department photo).

Pentagon wants $450M for RDER tech experiments in fiscal 2025

Emerging Tech