Ken Harbaugh is a former U.S. Navy pilot whose career began in a military family and led him to nine years of service as an electronic‑reconnaissance aviator. He qualified as an Electronic Warfare Mission Commander and flew the EP‑3A Aries II, work that shaped his understanding of civil‑military responsibility. After leaving the Navy, he pursued higher education at Duke and Oxford before earning a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2008.

His post‑service path centered on veteran support and public service. Harbaugh co‑founded The Mission Continues, helping veterans transition into civilian life through community engagement, and later became president of Team Rubicon, which mobilizes veterans as disaster‑response teams. In 2018, he entered electoral politics as the Democratic nominee for Ohio’s 7th congressional district, running on themes of service, accountability, and civic duty.

In recent years, Harbaugh has become a prominent media voice on civil‑military relations and democratic resilience. He hosts the podcasts Burn the Boats and Warriors in Their Own Words, and produced the Apple TV documentary "Against All Enemies", which examines extremist movements affecting the veteran community. His commentary appears in major outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Bulwark, where he writes about the intersection of military values and American civic life.