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...

Military News

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Get the latest on pay updates, benefit changes and award-winning military content. Right in your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice.

Thank you for subscribing!

View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page.

One last step.

Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to:

Most Popular Military News

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll speaks to soldiers

Army Secretary Fires Entire Corps of Civilian Advisers from Communities Across US

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has ousted his entire slate of civilian advisers in a sweeping move aimed at clearing space for...

Reserve Officers’ Training Corps commissioning ceremony

Army ROTC Programs at Dozens of Campuses Are Being Shut Down or Reorganized

The Army is undertaking a major shake-up of its Reserve Officers' Training Corps footprint, shutting down or reorganizing...

Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade use hot towels to warm their faces during a shaving clinic

New Army Shaving Policy Will Allow Soldiers with Skin Condition that Affects Mostly Black Men to Be Kicked Out

The Army is preparing to roll out a new policy that could lead to soldiers diagnosed with a chronic skin condition that...

Inside Netflix’s Plan to Turn an Old NJ Army Base into a Hollywood-Style Production Powerhouse

After years of planning, Netflix recently broke ground on its massive production studio planned for a 289-acre former Army...

California Army National Guard Fire Crew at Palisades, Calif.

Guardsmen Pulled off LA Mission as State Warns Troops Are 'Stretched Thin' Amid Wildfire Season

U.S. Northern Command said in a statement that approximately 150 members of the California National Guard were released from...

United States Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll

Army Secretary Visits Rock Island Arsenal as Job Cuts Loom

The Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll joined officials at the Rock Island Arsenal as the federal government considers...

Latest Military Videos

Black Smoke Rises over Mogadishu After Deadly Crash of African Union Military Helicopter

At least three people were killed on Wednesday when a military helicopter serving the African Union peacekeeping mission in...

Iran President Orders Suspension of Cooperation with UN Nuclear Agency: AP Explains

Iran’s president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after American...

Israeli Military Releases Video Said to Show Troops in Khan Younis Area in Gaza

The Israeli military on Wednesday released video it said showed troops operating in the Khan Younis area in the...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Meets with the Indo-Pacific Quad

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting with his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia as the Trump administration...

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 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...

Soldiers fight in tandem with various robotics

Army Creating New Artificial Intelligence-Focused Occupational Specialty and Officer Field

Service planners are moving to establish a new enlisted military occupational specialty focused on artificial intelligence...

Navy News

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...

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media

Justice Department Says 2 Chinese Nationals Charged with Spying Inside the US for Beijing

The case, filed in federal court in San Francisco, is the latest Justice Department prosecution to target what officials say...

Air Force News

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...

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...

Space Force News

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'

The Army has "Saving Private Ryan," the Navy has "Top Gun," the Marine Corps has "Full Metal Jacket" and, now, an animated...

Marine Corps News

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...

People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles

LA Detention Center Guarded by Marines Shows Profound Impact of ICE Raids on Families

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

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...