Matthew Cox

Matthew Cox has been a defense reporter since 1998. During his time with Military.com he covered all the services, with a close eye on Army weapons development and procurement, body armor testing, camouflage, ammunition as well as readiness and training issues. He previously worked for 12 years for Army Times. He traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq numerous times from 2002 to 2008, covering Stryker and light infantry units in combat. He also spent four years in the U.S. Army during the second half of the 1980s, serving as an infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Latest Articles

Next Generation Squad Weapon Science and Technology prototype

Army Picks Firm to Build Deadly New Sighting System Prototype for NGSW

The 1-8x30 Active Reticle Fire Control is a variable power, direct-view, first focal plane riflescope.

Bell 360 Invictus rendering. Courtesy Bell

Army Wants 20mm Cannon, Supervised Autonomy for New Scout Helicopter

Officials are seeking info on a range of capabilities to give FARA pilots an edge as they penetrate enemy air defenses.

Soldiers participate in U.S. Northern Command's Exercise Arctic Edge 20

Army Debuts Redesigned Arctic Tab As It Shifts Focus to Cold-Weather Training

The once rectangular tab was redesigned in November 2019 and now follows the shape and placement of Ranger and Sapper tabs.

Fort Jackson trainees practice social distancing

Army Moves to Reopen Basic Training as 50 Coronavirus Cases Emerge at Fort Jackson

On April 6, Army training officials announced a two-week pause to shipping recruits to BCT.

A combat medic closes a box, April 9, 2020, inside Seattle Event Center.

Soldiers Who Built Seattle Field Hospital Will Soon Get New Mission

The Army's chief of staff said the field hospitals in Seattle are now on a 48-hour prepare-to-deploy order.

Sgt. Austin Loppe, left, and Lance Cpl. Colton Flach in front of the USNS Comfort. Marine Corps photo

Marines Sprint Down NYC Pier to Deliver Oxygen Tanks to Dying Coronavirus Patients

Camp Lejeune infantrymen raced to save patients in ambulances waiting to reach the hospital ship Comfort.

U.S. service members and families arrive on Osan Air Base.

SecDef Announces Plans to Extend Force-Wide Travel Restrictions

The secretary of defense announced that the stop-movement order in place for all military personnel and their families.

An Airman assigned to 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Flight, adjusts the straps to his N95 mask.

The Military Is Buying Technology That Will Make Face Masks Reusable

The DoD has awarded a $415 million contract for 60 critical-care decontamination systems to sterilize N95 respirators.

Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy tugs his protective face mask into place

Two US Soldiers with COVID-19 'Up and Walking Around' After Taking Ebola Drug

U.S. Army medical officials say they have successfully treated two soldiers diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

Army Reserve soldiers deploy to help fight COVID-19.

Army Deploys Reserve Medical Specialists to Aid Overwhelmed City Hospitals

The Army mobilized 1,275 Reserve medical specialists to reinforce civilian hospitals in areas struggling to handle COVID-19.

Rear Adm. Michelle Skubic, Capt. Jonathan Haynes, Capt. Doug Noble, and Captain Nick Rapley salute the National Ensign during the change of command ceremony.

Navy Will Allow Some Officers to Delay Retirement Due to Coronavirus

The Navy is offering lower-ranking officers being forced into retirement a chance to remain on active duty a little longer.

A pallet of ventilators is prepared for shipment to New York.

Army Offers Cash Prizes for Ideas on How to Speed Ventilator Production

The COVID-19 Ventilator Challenge seeks a low-cost, emergency ventilator with minimal components for mass production.

The Marines killed in a CH-53E Super Stallion crash in Southern California include, clockwise from top left, Gunnery Sgt. Derik R. Holley, First Lt. Samuel D. Phillips, Capt. Samuel A. Schultz, and Lance Cpl. Taylor J. Conrad. (U.S. Marine Corps photos)

Faulty Helicopter Part Caused the Deaths of Four Marines, New Lawsuit Claims

The lawsuit alleges that the companies were responsible for manufacturing and supplying a defective valve part.

U.S. Military Academy at West Point cadet shoots a M203 grenade launcher

Army Designs New Camera Drones to Be Fired from Grenade Launchers

Army scientists have created a reconnaissance drone that soldiers will be able to fire from their 40mm grenade launchers.

Pentagon brief international COVID-19 support and combating disinformation

Russia and China Are Spreading Lies About Coronavirus, Pentagon Says

U.S. Defense Department officials on Thursday outlined foreign attempts to spread disinformation on the novel coronavirus.

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

President Donald Trump greets troops at at Fort Bragg

Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance

As President Donald Trump viciously attacked his perceived political foes, he whipped up boos from the gathered troops...

Sondria Linford, 533rd Commodities Maintenance Squadron, stands at attention with her Airman Leadership School classmates at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Deep Workforce Cuts at VA, Pentagon Backed by Republican Spending Bills

House Republicans are on track to allow job cuts at the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs to proceed in the annual...

President Trump delivers a speech at Fort Bragg

Army Officials Pushed Back on Pop-Up MAGA Shop Ahead of Fort Bragg Trump Speech

Ahead of President Donald Trump's rally-style appearance at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Tuesday, Army officials raised...

California National Guard in downtown Los Angeles

Guard Soldiers Deployed in Trump's LA Crackdown Aren't Getting Paid Yet

According to more than a dozen Guardsmen across four units who spoke to Military.com, none has received formal activation...

Customs and Border Protection agent places concertina wire along the border

Pentagon Encourages Troops to Join Immigration Enforcement, Border Security Job Training Program

Hegseth ordered the Pentagon to "prioritize and broadly advertise" opportunities troops who are nearing separation or...

A Bonus Army encampment burns after the U.S. Army attacks WWI veterans protesting their treatment by the federal government.

That Time the Army Gassed Veterans Protesting for Benefits

In May 1932, a group of World War veterans and their families -- numbering in the tens of thousands -- set up camps along the...

Latest Military Videos

Noem Vows to Continue Trump's Immigration Crackdown as Judge Says Guard Deployment Was Illegal

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order directing President Donald Trump to return control of the National Guard...

Israeli Strikes on Iran Damage Residential Buildings in Tehran

Israel launched a major attack on Iran, bringing their long-running shadow war into the open conflict in a way...

NATO Chief Calls for De-escalation in Region as Israel Attacks Iran

NATO chief Mark Rutte called for de-escalation in the Middle East on Friday after Israel launched strikes on Iran...

Israel Attacks Iran's Nuclear and Missile Sites, AP Explains

Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday in strikes that targeted the country’s nuclear program and killed at least two...

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

National Guardsman stands watch in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Texas Reduces Number of Troops at Southern Border Amid Response to Planned Protests

The Texas National Guard is deploying thousands of its troops in response to planned protests of the Trump administration's...

U.S. Army soldiers work on an M1 Abrams tank staged in West Potomac Park ahead of an upcoming military parade commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

The Army Parade Poses Potential Pitfalls like a Tank Breakdown. Soldiers Say They're Prepared.

Thousands of soldiers have descended upon Washington, D.C., from more than a dozen Army divisions across the force, and many...

Navy News

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams

Sailor in Custody After Body of Missing Norfolk Seaman Found in Wooded Area

A female sailor who went missing from a destroyer based in Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia has been found dead, the Naval...

US Helps Israel Shoot Down Barrage of Iranian Missiles

American air defense systems and Navy assets in the Middle East helped Israel shoot down incoming ballistic missiles Friday...

Air Force News

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas.

SpaceX Plans up to 76 Starship Launches Annually from Old Delta IV Launch Site

The first of two Environmental Impact Statements around SpaceX plans for Starship launch sites on the Space Coast was...

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One.

What it Would Take to Convert a Jet From Qatar into Air Force One to Safely Fly Trump

Air Force One has to have the highest level of classified communications, anti-jamming capabilities and external protections...

Space Force News

Five of the Air and Space Force’s newest officers stand at attention during a University of New Mexico Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 510 Commissioning Ceremony at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, N.M., May 16, 2025. During the ceremony, five of the Air and Space Force’s newest officers were sworn into service. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Spencer Kanar)

How to Become a Space Force Officer

U.S. Space Force officers, who plan and manage personnel, make up about half the service.

SpaceX Plans up to 76 Starship Launches Annually from Old Delta IV Launch Site

The first of two Environmental Impact Statements around SpaceX plans for Starship launch sites on the Space Coast was...

Marine Corps News

Marcos Leao, center, walks past a checkpoint manned by Marines.

Marines Temporarily Detain Man While Guarding LA Federal Building

Marcos Leao, a former Army combat engineer, said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment when he stepped past...

U.S. Marines rehearse non-lethal tactics in Los Angeles

The Marines Are in Los Angeles

Around 200 Marines armed with rifles, riot control equipment, gas masks, roughly 20 hours of civil disturbance training and...

Coast Guard News

the National Coast Guard Museum keel-laying ceremony

Construction of $150M Coast Guard Museum Set to Begin Next Month as Donations Rise

The Coast Guard Museum Association’s Board of Directors a year ago approved allotting $40 million for the installation of...

smoke rises from cargo vessel Morning Midas approximately 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska

Coast Guard Helps Rescue Crew After Vehicle Cargo Ship Catches Fire

The crew of a cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles to Mexico, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned ship after they could...