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Jon Harper

Washington, D.C., United States

Managing Editor at DefenseScoop

Journalist covering DoD/military tech. Managing Editor of @DefenseScoop. Sad Nats fan. Send news tips to [email protected]

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Articles

  • Air Force drops 14 MOP bombs on Iranian nuclear sites during first operational use of the weapon

    5 days ago | defensescoop.com | Jon Harper

    U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped a total of 14 “massive ordnance penetrator” bombs on Iranian nuclear sites during Operation Midnight Hammer early Sunday local time, according to senior officials. The event marked the first-ever operational employment of the weapon, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed Sunday during a press briefing at the Pentagon. The 30,000-pound GBU-57 bomb, also known as the MOP, is designed to be capable of attacking underground targets.

  • The Pentagon knows its cyber force model is broken. Here’s how to fix it

    1 week ago | defensescoop.com | Jon Harper

    The U.S. military has tried almost everything to fix its cyber readiness issues except the one solution that would work: standing up a dedicated cyber service. At a congressional hearing in May, senior defense officials publicly acknowledged that CYBERCOM 2.0 — an initiative launched by U.S Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) to overhaul how it builds and manages cyber forces — fell short of the Pentagon’s expectations.

  • Trump picks Marine to be next Joint Chiefs vice chairman

    1 week ago | defensescoop.com | Jon Harper

    President Donald Trump has nominated Marine Corps Gen. Christopher Mahoney to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. military’s second-highest ranking officer. The role is currently held by Navy Adm. Christopher Grady, who is nearing the end of his scheduled term in that position. Trump submitted Mahoney’s nomination for the role to the Senate on June 17, and it’s been referred to the Armed Services Committee for consideration, according to a notice posted on Congress.gov.

  • Trump nominates Adm. Caudle to be next chief of naval operations

    1 week ago | defensescoop.com | Jon Harper

    President Donald Trump has tapped Adm. Daryl Caudle to be the next chief of naval operations and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In February, Trump fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti as CNO and the administration has been looking for a permanent replacement. Adm. James Kilby has been acting CNO since Franchetti was removed.

  • Pentagon tapping OpenAI, other vendors for ‘frontier AI’ projects

    1 week ago | defensescoop.com | Jon Harper

    A day after the Defense Department announced a new deal with OpenAI, an official with the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and AI Office said announcements about additional partnerships with companies for “frontier AI” projects are on the horizon.

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Jon Harper
Jon Harper @Jon_Harper_
5 Jun 25

RT @DefenseScoop: Gen. Allvin hints at new funding for Air Force’s ARRW hypersonic missile in fiscal 2026. @MikaylaEasley reports: https://…

Jon Harper
Jon Harper @Jon_Harper_
5 Jun 25

RT @DefenseScoop: Navy contracting officers will soon see new incentives to "go commercial." @BrandiVincent_ has the story: https://t.co/Sy…

Jon Harper
Jon Harper @Jon_Harper_
13 May 25

RT @DefenseScoop: Senate confirms Troy Meink as secretary of the Air Force. @MikaylaEasley has more on Trump's pick to be SECAF: https://t.…