Jennifer Barnhill

In addition to her reporting, Jennifer Barnhill is also the host of Military Dinner Table Conversations, a monthly reverse town hall with military families. She is the author of The Military Stories You've Been Told: And the Ones You Need to Hear (October 2025) as well as the 2025 AFI Navy Spouse of the Year, a 2023 Bush Institute StandTo Veteran Leadership Program Scholar, the editor-in-chief of the National Military Spouse Network’s Career Connections Magazine and the military spouse liaison on The League of Wives Memorial Project.

Latest Articles

The minuteman statue in front of the headquarters building following a snow storm

Why No One Understands National Guard Families

Despite making headlines for helping after the catastrophic flooding in Texas or being politicized as President Donald Trump...

Applications sit on a table at Marston Pavilion aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., for potential volunteers with Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.

The Cost of Spouse Volunteerism

Military spouses are often encouraged to pursue volunteerism as a way to stay professionally relevant during relocations and...

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

For Military Spouses, OPSEC Isn't Political. It's Personal.

Military families know that OPSEC is more than a political talking point; it is a matter of life and death.

A teacher engages her 5th grade students in an interactive lesson at Kessler Elementary School

The Trump Administration Wants to Promote School Vouchers for Military Families. Would It Help?

In January, the Trump administration issued an executive order requiring the Department of Defense to come up with a proposal...

A military spouse carries a copy of their resume during a job fair at Ramstein Air Base.

Pentagon Ruling Eases One Employment Barrier for Military Spouses Overseas

Rules that had prevented some military spouses from holding jobs while stationed overseas have been relaxed, a parting gift...

Middle School students are picked up by bus

Banned Books, School Walkouts, Child Care Shortages: Military Families Confront Pentagon's Shifting Rules

At a public school, the protest might have led to a detention and maybe some revoked after-school privileges. But on a...

The Daily Stress Weighing on Military Spouses

The stress the military community holds is not just related to our proximity to deployments or combat zones. It is woven into...

A crew removes the statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson

How the Trump Administration Is Erasing History and Ignoring the Wishes of Descendants of Confederate Leaders

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently renamed Fort Liberty, North Carolina, choosing the name Fort Bragg. Not that Bragg...

person types on a laptop keyboard in North Andover, Mass.

The Return to Work Order Is Creating Chaos, Anguish for Military Spouses

Military spouse unemployment has been around 20% for half a century.

free hiring event held for service members, veterans and military spouses

Military Families Need the Same Legal Protections as Service Members

Although many states offer legal protections that could theoretically prevent discrimination on the basis of marital status -...

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Adrienne Warren, the 99th Air Base Wing command chief, greets drivers during a Suicide Prevention Awareness Month base wave-in at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

What Happens to Military Families After a Loved One's Suicide?

When a member of the military community dies by suicide, their neighbors, friends, brothers in arms, and families gather...

Does the Military Need Social Media Influencers?

New military influencers are popping up daily talking about military life -- the good, the bad and the ugly.

Military family members give a thumbs up while flying over Albuquerque

How Are Foreign-Born Military Spouses Doing?

Being a military spouse is challenging, and for foreign-born spouses, there are even more stressors to keeping a family...

A home is advertised for sale in Hampton Roads, Va.

Confusion, Misinformation and the VA Loan

The VA loan is designed to help and protect service members as they buy a home.

Moving boxes sit in the old home of a logistics flight commander in Las Vegas, April 28, 2020.

How Moves Put Military Families of Color at Risk

Moving may be a part of military life, but for families of color and other groups, military moves pose more than an...

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Most Popular Military News

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., left, confronts House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Federal Government Shutdown Grinds into a Second Week as Tempers Flare at the Capitol

As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) questions U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Trump Targets Blumenthal, Calling for Investigation into Senator's Vietnam Service Claims

President Donald Trump is targeting U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal again after Connecticut’s senior U.S. senator grilled U.S...

Pvt. Paul Douglas, age 50, performs a rifle inspection with his drill instructor aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot S.C., 1942. Douglas, at age 50 was the oldest recruit in the history of Parris Island, and went on to become a purple heart recipient and Chicago senator (DVIDS).

At 50, He Survived Marine Boot Camp — Then Fought at Peleliu and Okinawa

When 50-year-old Paul Douglas showed up at Marine Corps boot camp in 1942, the white-haired economics professor looked more...

Pack and transport platoon of the Russian army. Southern Military District. Ministry of Defense of Russia (Wikimedia Commons).

Ukrainian Drones Attack Russian Cavalry Troops in Rare 21st-Century Encounter

A short video circulating online this month appears to show a Russian mounted patrol being struck by a Ukrainian drone near...

When The Government Can Afford Everything Except The Essentials

Every shutdown forces the government to decide what counts as “essential.” Air traffic controllers and TSA agents fall into...

Troops Will Miss Paychecks Next Week Without Action on the Government Shutdown

The federal government shutdown is raising anxiety levels among service members and their families, because those in uniform...

Latest Military Videos

Master Class: Resume Writing Workshop for Military Members & Spouses

Learn how to translate your military experience into a results-driven resume that speaks to civilian employers. Walk away with...

Trump Doubts Ukraine Will Win War with Russia, Expects a 'Fair Deal' with China

President Donald Trump pulled back Monday on his previous assertion that Ukraine could win back all territory from Russia...

Trump Considering Tomahawks' Request from Zelenskyy, Vance Says

The United States is considering a request by Ukraine for long-range Tomahawk missiles, US Vice President JD Vance has...

US Vice President JD Vance Discusses Renewed Violence in Gaza

US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said there would be “fits and starts” in the truce between Israel...

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

Army News

A photo of a transmittable satellite produced by Gilat DataPath. (Credit: Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.)

Company Inks $7M Deal to Provide Satellite Technology to US Army

The Russia-Ukraine war has just in the past three years transformed technological capabilities and made the international...

World War II veteran James Underwood's dog tag. (Submitted photo)

Lost for 82 Years, World War II Soldier’s Dog Tag Returns to Family

Lost for 82 years in the woods of England, a Georgia family is finally reunited with their father's World War II dog tag.

Navy News

WAVES pigeon trainers release homing pigeons during training, February 1944. These birds flew messages from Navy blimps hunting German U-boats when radio silence was critical to avoid detection. (U.S. Navy/National Archives)

How Pigeons Helped U.S. Navy Blimps Hunt German U-Boats in World War II

The U.S. Navy's use of pigeons began decades before World War II, but the birds found their most critical mission during the...

Firing Artillery Over Interstate 5 Considered Unusual for Camp Pendleton, Some Experts Say

A simulated beach assault in which artillery was fired from the sand toward the interior of the sprawling base was intended...

Air Force News

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington.

Former US Airman Threatened to Assassinate Trump Over LGBTQ+ Policies, Feds Say

Joshua Levi Young, 21, of Ishpeming, is accused of issuing several threats since January that called for the execution of...

Shield AI's newly unveiled X-BAT autonomous fighter jets. The VTOL drones are designed to fly combat missions alongside crewed aircraft as part of the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. (Shield AI)

Shield AI Unveils Fully Autonomous VTOL Fighter Jet

A San Diego defense technology company unveiled an artificial intelligence-piloted fighter jet Tuesday that can take off...

Space Force News

U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Rachel Harmon and Master Sgt. Tom Anderson, weapons loaders assigned to the 174th Attack Wing, checks an inert GBU 12 laser guided missile on an MQ-9 Reaper at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base in Springfield, Ohio.

Two Space Force Units Bring the 'Invisible Front Line' to Ohio

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting is planned for Friday for the Space Intelligence Production Cell at the Springfield-Beckley Air...

A painting of a Defense Support Program satellite from the Air Force Art collection. DSP provides a variety of national security capabilities. Its flagship mission of launch detection was made famous during the Cold War. (U.S. Air Force image)

Clearing The Orbits: Space Force Partnerships In Orbital Cleanup

The growing congestion of Earth orbit has raised risks to satellites, space stations, and long-term space sustainability. The...

Marine Corps News

Runners and Marine Corps service members at the 2024 Marine Corps Marathon. (Photo by Marine Corps Marathon media team)

Marine Corps Marathon Marks 50 Years of Running With Purpose

This Sunday, Oct. 26, the Marine Corps Marathon will mark its 50th anniversary as one of the largest races in the U.S.

People watch the traffic as signs alert drivers about the closure of the 5 Freeway on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in San Clemente, California. A 17-mile stretch of the 5 Freeway was temporarily closed Saturday due to a live-ammunition demonstration at Camp Pendleton, held in celebration of the U.S. Marine Corps' 250th anniversary. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images/TNS)

No Public Warnings Before Marines Test-Fired Live Munitions Over Busy Interstate 5, Train Lines

New questions are emerging about why there were no public warnings before the U.S. Marines fired over Interstate 5 and a...

Coast Guard News

The East Oakland entrance to the military installation — which marks the only way on or off of the island by car or truck — became the site of protests Thursday when federal agents arrived in the Bay Area as part of the next phase of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. (Kyle Martin)

Security Personnel Outside Coast Guard Base Open Fire at U-Haul Truck at Scene of Immigration Protests

Multiple security personnel opened fire Thursday night at a U-Haul truck that had been backing up to the entrance to Coast...

Federal Agents Sent to San Francisco Area, Which Mayor Says Is Meant to Incite ‘Chaos and Violence’

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday it is providing a base of operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in the...