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

Army National Guard soldiers conduct foot patrols along the southern border

Pentagon Again Expanding Military Border Zones, This Time in Arizona

The newest military zone in Arizona -- the fourth border zone created by the Trump administration -- will encompass 140 miles...

Football Dreams Led to 'Fat Boy Flight' and an Over-Forty-Year Air Force Career

In 1971, as a high school senior and captain of the football team, I assumed a college athletic scholarship was in my future...

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US Contractors Say Their Colleagues Are Firing Live Ammo as Palestinians Seek Food in Gaza

Two U.S. contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers’ internal...

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev enter a hall during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia

Tensions Are Rising Between Russia and Azerbaijan. Why Is This Happening Now?

Deaths of ethnic Azerbaijanis rounded up by police for decades-old murders in a Russian city. The crash of an Azerbaijan...

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For immigrants without legal status who are detained in this part of Southern California, their first stop is the Immigration...

Latest Military Videos

The House Gives Final Approval to Trump’s Big Tax Bill and Sends it to Him to Sign

House Republicans propelled President Donald Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill to final congressional passage Thursday...

Denmark: EU Must Fill the Gap as US Pauses Some Weapons Shipments to Ukraine

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US Contractors Say Their Colleagues Are Firing Live Ammo as Palestinians Seek Food in Gaza

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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

The grave marker of 75-year-old Pfc. Reba C. Bailey, a former missing person cold case named Seven Doe

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A veteran who died in Chicago without any recollection of their life has been memorialized in a funeral service with military...

Pentagon Again Expanding Military Border Zones, This Time in Arizona

The newest military zone in Arizona -- the fourth border zone created by the Trump administration -- will encompass 140 miles...

Navy News

Free-fall parachute jump from an Air Force C-130

Special Warfare Sailor Dies in Parachute Mishap, Navy Confirms

Special Warfare Boat Operator 2nd class Noah Tobin, a sailor assigned to Special Boat Team 20, died "while participating in a...

Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH) roving security and fire watch team members patrol the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility

Navy Sued for $1.2 Billion by Hawaii Water Board over Red Hill Contamination

BWS says it’s suing the Navy “for negligence, nuisance, and trespass resulting in damages where the government of the United...

Air Force News

B-2 Spirit is recovered after supporting Operation Midnight Hammer

Pilots Who Conducted Iran Strikes Invited to White House on July 4, Raising Security Concerns

The B-2 Spirit bomber pilots and crew involved with the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities last month have been invited to...

Football Dreams Led to 'Fat Boy Flight' and an Over-Forty-Year Air Force Career

In 1971, as a high school senior and captain of the football team, I assumed a college athletic scholarship was in my future...

Space Force News

Oath of Enlistment at Joint Base Andrews

Air Force and Space Force Hit Recruiting Goals 3 Months Early, Following Other Service Branches

The Air Force and Space Force announced they had hit their recruiting targets shortly after the Navy and the Army had reached...

Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna at a screening of "Elio"

Space Force May Have its Biggest Media Moment Yet with Disney-Pixar's 'Elio'

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Marine Corps News

Statue of George Washington in the Rotunda at the Capitol in Washington

Sweeping Trump Agenda Bill with $157 Billion Defense Boost, Food Aid Cuts Approved by Congress

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Rioters storm the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021

Military Veteran Gets a Life Sentence for Plotting an FBI Attack After His Jan. 6 Arrest

Edward Kelley received a pardon from President Trump for his Jan. 6 convictions, but a judge agreed with prosecutors that...

Coast Guard News

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa returns to its homeport

Coast Guard Temporarily Relieves Commanding Officer of Cutter Tampa

Cmdr. Walter Krolman, who has led the medium endurance cutter Tampa for two years, was relieved for "loss of confidence,"...

Hawaii Coast Guard Crew Wraps Up Enforcement Mission in Cook Islands

The Lane, a 270-foot Medium Class Endurance Cutter arrived in Hawaii in late 2023 to serve as the U.S. Coast Guard’s first...