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

Tony Tata. North Carolina Department of Transportation screengrab

Nominee for Pentagon Personnel Chief Grilled Over Comments Calling for Purge of Generals

Anthony Tata, whose past Islamaphobic and conspiratorial statements doomed his nomination for a top Pentagon job in the first...

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins

VA Secretary Defends Staffing Cuts, Contract Cancellations in Heated Senate Hearing

Lawmakers say the Department of Veterans Affairs has not provided answers for requests for information, while the VA...

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth receives a coin

Hegseth Works Hard to Portray Himself as a Man of the Troops. They Might Not Be Buying It.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and National Guardsman, has attempted to reframe the role of the...

A live fire demonstration of the Army’s M10 Booker

Army's M10 Booker Gets Nixed Leaving Question Mark for Future Infantry's Firepower

The Army is canning the short-lived M10 Booker, an armored fighting vehicle, amid concerns over its deployability and...

U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth shakes hands with President Trump

Trump's Plan to 'Save' Michigan Base with New Fighter Jet Squadron Not a Done Deal

The lack of environmental analysis, funding and other roll-out details stems from the unusual situation of Trump making the...

U.Marines affix concertina wire along the border near San Ysidro, California

Marines Killed in Border Crash Were in Convoy Attempting to Pass Another Vehicle, Police Say

The sheriff's office report said the Marines were following a Border Patrol vehicle with its lights on that was passing a...

Latest Military Videos

AP Explains Israeli Troops in Self-Declared Security Zones in Gaza

Israel’s defense minister said Wednesday that troops will remain in so-called security zones in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and...

Russian Strike on Kherson Kills One Person and Injures 3 Others

At least one person was killed and three others injured following a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of...

Fort Benning Takes Back its Old Name, but to Honor a Different Soldier

The Army is restoring the name Fort Benning to its storied training post in Georgia, only this time to...

Former Pentagon Spokesperson Speaks Out About Leaked War Plans

President Donald Trump is downplaying the texting of attack plans to a group chat that included a journalist as...

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

Army Combat Fitness Test at Fort Campbell

Tweaks to Army's Physical Fitness Test Are Relatively Modest

The Army has approved a series of revisions to its physical fitness test, recalibrating performance benchmarks in a modest...

Army's M10 Booker Gets Nixed Leaving Question Mark for Future Infantry's Firepower

The Army is canning the short-lived M10 Booker, an armored fighting vehicle, amid concerns over its deployability and...

Navy News

Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill contractor collects a water sample

Military Families Win in Case over Fuel-Tainted Water from Red Hill Spill in Hawaii

The 17 families were awarded monetary damages to cover medical costs and are considered "bellwethers" as they represent...

A hydrogen bomb rests aboard the USS Petrel after it is recovered from the Mediterranean Sea in April 1966. The bomb was lost after a midair collision involving a B-52 bomber and a KC-135 Stratotanker in January of that year.

How the US Military Scrambled to Recover a Missing Bomb During the Cold War

If not for a Spanish fisherman who saw something and said something, the U.S. Air Force might never have recovered a missing...

Air Force News

The Gundam 22 dedicated cenotaph memorial in Japan

Osprey Safety Investigation Stalls in Congress, Angering Gold Star Families

Congress' probe into the safety of the military's V-22 Osprey last summer following multiple deadly crashes has been stalled...

How the US Military Scrambled to Recover a Missing Bomb During the Cold War

If not for a Spanish fisherman who saw something and said something, the U.S. Air Force might never have recovered a missing...

Space Force News

Capt. Matthew Lohmeier instructs a trainee

Senators Voice 'Deep Concerns' About Trump's Pick for Air Force Under Secretary

Democratic senators voiced serious concerns about a former Former Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier's political social media posts...

Launch of hypersonic missile from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Secretive 'Dark Eagle' Hypersonic Missile Launches from Cape Canaveral

The action on the Space Coast comes a day after the Army officially dubbed the defense system with its new moniker.

Marine Corps News

Osprey Safety Investigation Stalls in Congress, Angering Gold Star Families

Congress' probe into the safety of the military's V-22 Osprey last summer following multiple deadly crashes has been stalled...

Marines march pass a platoon of new recruits at MCRD San Diego

A Woman Drove into a San Diego Military Facility by Mistake. She Now Faces Deportation.

A spokesperson for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot said that if a person without proper authorization attempts to enter a...

Coast Guard News

An uncompleted U.S. Coast Guard Cutter sits in a hangar bay at Bollinger Shipyard in Lockport, Louisiana

Louisiana Shipbuilders Bollinger, Edison Chouest Join to Bid on $22B Coast Guard Cutter Program

Two of Louisiana's largest shipbuilders, Bollinger Shipyards and Edison Chouest Offshore, have joined forces to compete for a...

A 30th Sex Assault Claim Filed Against Coast Guard Academy

A 30th sexual assault complaint was filed against the U.S. Coast Guard, a law firm representing former Coast Guard Academy...