Kelsey Baker

Kelsey Baker is a Military and Defense reporting fellow at Business Insider. Previously, she spent six months at The Washington Post as a 2024 Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow on the general assignment and international desks. She’s a graduate of Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism and a Marine Corps veteran.

Latest Articles

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...

A U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor marches a platoon of recruits

Always Faithful, Always On: The Taxing Job of a Marine Corps Drill Instructor

Marine Corps drill instructors represent one of the most legendary roles in the military. From the 1987 war movie "Full Metal...

A drug user prepares heroin, placing a fentanyl test strip into the mixing container to check for contamination

'You Can't Fix the Problem If You're in Denial:' The Military's Surge of Fentanyl Overdoses

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and tiny amounts can kill.

"Man/Ready" Vietnam by artist Paul MacWiliams.

How Trauma Before Service is Shaping a Generation of Troops

Acknowledging the prevalence of pre-service trauma -- and how it affects adult service members -- can be helpful for many...

An Army Initial Entry Training soldier naps

Troops Still Aren't Getting Enough Sleep, and the Defense Department Isn't Taking Responsibility, Watchdog Says

A recent GAO report recommends more top-level ownership in the military to help improve troop sleeping patterns.

U.S. Army soldiers with the Wichita Recruiting Company hosted a recruitment booth at Hutchinson

The Army's Recruiting Problem Is Male

A decade of declining recruitment numbers for the Army is almost entirely attributable to a significant drop in male...

Feds Arrest Former Navy Europe Commander Alleging Bribery Scheme that Led to $500,000 Civilian Salary

Robert Burke allegedly directed the lucrative Navy contracts to the company in 2021 while serving as a four-star admiral, and...

A cavalry scout fires the M17 9mm pistol at Fort Carson

31 Pistols Went Missing from Fort Moore, Georgia. The Army Is Offering $5,000 for Information.

The M17 is a 9 mm Sig Sauer pistol with a 17-round magazine capacity. The handgun was adopted by the Defense Department in...

Veterans at Risk of Losing Homes Could Get More Time as VA Urges Extended Pause on Foreclosures

The VA's call aims to give nearly 40,000 veterans more time to find ways to stay in their homes, and comes just ahead of the...

Gavel and American flag with scales of justice.

Soldier Who Was Inspector General Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Faces Sexual Assault, Harassment Charges

Master Sgt. Christopher Dehn is set to be arraigned June 5 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state on four counts of...

Veterans Affairs Department in Washington.

VA Says It Cut Wait Times for Primary, Mental Health Care as Veteran Enrollment Surged

The shorter waits come even as the VA has enrolled more than 400,000 veterans in health care over the past year, a 30%...

Clarence Sasser, Vietnam Medic Awarded Medal of Honor for Treating Troops Under Fire, Dies at 76

After returning to the U.S. from Vietnam, Sasser received his Medal of Honor from President Richard Nixon in 1969, in a...

Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Family Child Care provider

Military Must Focus on Efforts to Keep Its Child Care Employees to Shorten Waitlists, Watchdog Says

In 2022, turnover within the DoD child care sector ranged from 34% at Marine Corps child care facilities to 50% turnover...

The new Fort Liberty sign is displayed outside the base

Fort Liberty Soldier Sentenced to Over 3 Years for Romance Scams, Bilked Over $350,000 from Victims

Specialist Sanda G. Frimpong, who was serving on active duty until his arrest in 2023, was ordered to pay back over $350,000...

U.S. Marine retirement ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps

Marines Leaving Service Must Now Notify Corps at Least 6 Months Before Departure

Previously, Marines could resign or retire with as little as four months of advanced notification. The update went into...

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Most Popular Military News

Trump Wants a Department of War. A House GOP Amendment Would Give Him One.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., has filed an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would formally change the name of the...

U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II takes off

F-35 Pilot Was on Phone for Nearly an Hour with Engineers Before Ejection and Fiery Crash

The 39-page crash report, released this week, detailed the circumstances of the fiery crash, which completely destroyed the F...

Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, chief of Navy Reserve, is piped aboard during a change of command ceremony where Rear Adm. Luke Frost relieved Rear Adm. Mike Steffen as commanding officer of Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command aboard Naval Station Norfolk on June 27, 2025.

All Services Now Issue Form DD214-1 to Departing Reservists

The military's reserve components now issue departing reservists a new record that summarizes their periods of active and...

Veteran Stole $244K in Disability, Then Faked Drowning Death in Maine, Feds Say

Gregory P. Heimann Jr. will be returned to Maine, where he will face a charge of making false statements to the government.

US Deportation Flights Hit Record Highs as Carriers Try to Hide the Planes, Advocates Say

Immigration advocates gather like clockwork outside Seattle's King County International Airport to witness deportation...

What to Know About Creatine and Why the Military Regulates it for Special Forces

Creatine's reputation is built on decades of scientific research and practical results, making it a common addition to sports...

Latest Military Videos

UN Chief Guterres Stresses Unparalleled Destruction and Famine in Gaza

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres emphasized that “the levels of death and destruction in Gaza are without parallel in...

All UN Security Council Members, Except US, Voice Alarm at Declaration of Famine in Gaza City

All UN Security Council members except the United States voiced alarm Wednesday at the declaration of famine in Gaza...

US Envoy Laments Security Council Inaction and Blames Hamas for Renewed Gaza Fighting

The top US envoy at the United Nations on Wednesday lamented Security Council inaction on resolving the conflict in...

Homan Confirms Trump Administration Asking Military Base Near Chicago for Immigration Operations Support

The Trump administration asked a military base outside Chicago for support on immigration operations, the base said Thursday, offering...

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

Illinois National Guard in 1968, in Chicago

The National Guard Has Been Activated to Chicago 18 Times from 1877-2021. Here’s a Breakdown.

A review of the Tribune’s archives produced 18 events in which the governor activated the National Guard within Chicago. Two...

construction of large white tents for a new immigrant detention center at Fort Bliss

Mystery Surrounds $1.2 Billion Army Contract to Build Huge Detention Tent Camp in Texas Desert

When President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a contract worth up to $1.2 billion to build and operate what...

Navy News

Naval Station Great Lakes Building One at sunset

Navy Gets Request for ICE, National Guard to Operate Out of Chicago-Area Base

The installation, home to the Navy's only recruit training facility, would provide facilities and logistics for immigration...

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Vladimir Putin meet

Naval Buildup Escalates: Trump Now Sends Cruiser, Sub to Venezuela’s Doorstep

The United States is increasing its military presence in the southern Caribbean even more as part of President Donald Trump’s...

Air Force News

Micki Witthoeft, mother of Ashli Babbitt

Jan. 6 Rioter Fatally Shot by Police Approved for Military Funeral Honors by Air Force

Ashli Babbitt, who served as a senior airman, was among a group of rioters attempting to smash through barricaded doors...

B-52 bomber from in a flyover at the North Dakota State Fair

NTSB Says B-52 Bomber Nearly Hit 2 Different Planes in North Dakota Last Month

These close calls were just the latest incidents to raise questions about aviation safety in the wake of January’s midair...

Space Force News

109th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

Air Guard Transfers to Space Force Appear Likely as Senators Backtrack on Effort to Stop It

New amendments added to Congress' must-pass annual defense policy bill would allow the Space Force to take over certain state...

New U.S. Space Force dress uniform at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo.

Space Force Finally Has its Own Rulebook on Dress, Appearance Guidelines for Guardians

Since being established as the smallest service branch in 2019, the Space Force has used the same guidance given to the Air...

Marine Corps News

The sign at the entrance at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton Officer, Wife Sue Military Housing Company over Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Son

A Marine Corps family whose 8-year-old son died last year after he was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle on Camp...

Marine Veteran Charged with Threatening to Shoot Schoolchildren Now Out of Jail

Once held on $1 million bond for livestreaming threats to shoot elementary school children, a military veteran is now out of...

Coast Guard News

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton offloads more than 76,140 lbs of illicit narcotics at Port Everglades, Florida

Historic Coast Guard Bust Nets 38 Tons of Narcotics Worth $470M

The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded a record-setting 38 tons of cocaine and marijuana — valued at around $470 million — at Port...

Ingalls Worker Killed, Another Facing Murder Charge After Shooting at Mississippi Shipyard

Police rushed around 7:30 a.m. to the landmark shipyard in Pascagoula, where more than 10,000 people work to build boats for...