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John T. Seward

John T. Seward is a Defense and National Security Correspondent at The Washington Times, delivering insightful reporting on key decision-making in Washington and new defense technologies for Threat Status.John previously worked at Sinclair’s The National Desk before helping stand-up the non-profit newsroom NOTUS as one of its first class of newsroom fellows.
John graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. in Philosophy and served seven years as a U.S. Army artillery officer before leaving the service to become a journalist. In 2021 he graduated from American University with his M.A. in Journalism and Public Affairs.He can be reached at JohnS.13 on Signal and at jseward@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by John T. Seward

Trump halts strikes on Iran, says peace deal ‘perimeters’ are in place

President Trump says U.S. allies in the Middle East have reached an agreement on the outlines of a deal to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

August 2, 2026

Ocean-born testing of ‘Hammer of the Gods’ weapon part of U.S. Army’s technology experiment exercise

The U.S. Army has reported a successful test off the coast of California of the "Hammer of the Gods" -- a powerful electronic signal-scrambler designed to disrupt the navigation and communications equipment used by drones and enemy missiles.

July 30, 2026

U.S. Army begins shift to new AI-enabled command and control comms system

U.S. Army leaders on Wednesday announced the successful demonstration of a more than $3 billion Next Generation Command and Control digital communications prototype, saying the technology's development is on pace to catapult military planning and operations into the future.

July 29, 2026

Austin-based sea drone maker to build massive port in Texas

A futuristic transformation of American shipbuilding is accelerating, with autonomous surface vessel producer Saronic Technologies announcing plans to construct a multibillion-dollar new shipbuilding port in Brownsville, Texas.

July 17, 2026

Pentagon’s new low-cost cruise missile push includes contract for cargo-plane-capable weapons

The Pentagon has announced new agreements with three defense companies to mass-produce more affordable air-to-ground cruise missiles, including a set capable of being launched out of the back of cargo planes.

July 16, 2026

Space-based aspect of Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ shield gets boost with $1.75 billion in new contracts

The Trump administration's Golden Dome missile defense project is expanding its secretive network of space-based, missile-detecting satellites with a $1.75 billion dual contract for two defense technology companies, despite concerns on Capitol Hill about ballooning costs.

July 14, 2026

Despite Trump’s announcement, Patriot missile production in Ukraine may not start for years

Ukraine's actual production of Patriot missiles may not start for years, despite President Trump's announcement this week that the country could soon have a license to manufacture the defensive missiles.

July 9, 2026

Combat evolved: How data is taking over warfighting for the U.S. military

Defense companies are racing to build artificial intelligence-powered tools that help warfighters access, understand and capitalize on the mountains of data needed for modern combat.

July 8, 2026

Iran war accelerates the race for mobile military data centers

The military is using ruggedized mobile data centers in extreme environments around the world, and some of the nation's top defense companies are competing to provide them.

July 6, 2026

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is building ‘decision superiority’ tools with AI

American warfighters equipped with the latest technology increasingly find themselves grappling with an endless sea of information -- so much so that the U.S. military needs new tools to cut through and make sense of the data overload.

July 1, 2026

Why an expired wiretapping law is a sticking point in Washington

The law that authorizes the federal government to conduct electronic surveillance has lapsed, thanks to an ongoing dispute between the White House and Congress -- stripping national security agencies of one of their most powerful tools for tracking foreign targets at a time when terrorism and espionage threats directed at the U.S. are surging.

June 29, 2026

Investment in defense tech is soaring as Pentagon encourages venture capitalists to participate

The venture capital industry is pumping record levels of private cash into American defense technology companies -- considered a controversial investment in the past -- in a way that national security insiders say is transforming the U.S. military industrial landscape.

June 18, 2026

U.S. losing Reaper drones in the Mideast without any clear plan to replace them

The U.S. Air Force has lost nearly one-third of the available fleet of critical Reaper drones in Middle East conflicts since the start of the Trump administration, including more than two dozen in the Iran war.

June 14, 2026

Drone boat helps rescue U.S. Army helicopter crew shot down near Strait of Hormuz

An unmanned surface vessel -- or drone boat -- helped rescue two Army crew members whose AH-64 Apache helicopter was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz late Monday, according to government officials and defense industry sources.

June 9, 2026

Chernobyl storage facility hit by Russia in exchange of attacks after proposed ceasefire is rejected

A Russian drone hit a nuclear storage facility near Chernobyl on Sunday, after Ukraine conducted strikes on Russian President Vladimir Putin's hometown.

June 7, 2026

Russia aggressively recruiting spies at NATO’s edge; Estonian intel cites new twists in shadow war

Guards manning the famous border crossing between this small city on NATO's eastern flank and Russia are vigilant about what counterintelligence officials here describe as an increasingly aggressive campaign by Moscow to recruit spies.

June 4, 2026

Missing nuclear lab worker found dead

A Los Alamos National Laboratory staff member has been found dead in New Mexico after her disappearance last year.

June 2, 2026

Poland offers to build permanent U.S. troop bases to ‘clarify’ deployment situation

Poland has offered to build the necessary infrastructure to host a permanent U.S. troop presence in a bid to "clarify the situation" between the two longtime NATO allies, the country's deputy defense minister told The Washington Times.

May 22, 2026

Poland now has the most capable military in Europe, leadership says

A top Polish defense official said in an exclusive interview that his country unequivocally possesses the most powerful land army in Europe and is gearing up for a drastic increase in defense manufacturing capacity, only a generation after the fall of the Soviet Union.

May 20, 2026

Finland points to Arctic as Trump questions value of NATO

The Trump administration's loudest complaints about NATO -- that Europe isn't pulling its weight in defense spending and security -- are meeting a different reality in Finland, one of the alliance's newest Nordic member nations.

May 16, 2026

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