Oriana Pawlyk

Oriana Pawlyk is Military.com’s air warfare reporter covering everything from the latest personnel trends, aircraft, investigations, defense technology, to Air Force operations all over the world. Pawlyk is also an active member of the Pentagon Press Association.

She previously covered air campaign operations in the Middle East and Europe, plus uniforms, cyber, Guard and Reserve duties, physical training and technology for Air Force Times. Pawlyk edited the Military Times Early Bird Brief newsletter in 2015, compiling the top national security stories driving the day. Pawlyk attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she received a bachelor’s in Journalism and English Literature.

Email: oriana.pawlyk@monster.com

Latest Articles

More Than a Decade Later, the Air Force Finally Picks a Huey Replacement

The U.S. Air Force has picked Boeing to build the replacement for its UH-1N Huey at a cost of approximately $2.38 billion.

Second Lt. Kenneth Soyars, 14th Student Squadron student pilot, takes off during a virtual reality flight simulation Jan. 10, 2018, at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. Two subjects flew at a time but no other subjects were allowed to watch or learn from other individuals’ sorties. The Adaptive Flight Training Study pushed subjects to learn through the VR technology. (Keith Holcomb/U.S. Air Force)

Here's How the Air Force Plans to Recruit Teenage Gamers

Forget the Xbox. The U.S. Air Force wants kids to play a game to help it locate future airmen.

Gen. Mike Holmes, commander of Air Combat Command, watches Airmen from the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron load inert weapons onto an F-15E Strike Eagle during training, Feb. 26, 2019, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Kenneth Boyton)

Air Force Commander, Pilot Son to Dogfight in Livestreamed Flight Game

Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mike Holmes will battle his son, 1st Lt. Wade Holmes, an F-16 pilot, in the game Ace Combat 7.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Holmes, the commander of Air Combat Command, and 1st Lt. Wade Holmes, his son, battle each other in a combat flight action video game June 29, 2019, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. (U.S. Air Force/Emerald Ralston)

Air Force 1st Lieutenant Beats 4-Star Dad in Livestreamed Dogfight Game

Score a win for the Viper pilot in the battle over which Air Force fourth-generation aircraft brings the heat.

Hill Air Force Base F-35As fly over the Utah Test and Training Range, March 30, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo/R. Nial Bradshaw)

F-35 Dogfight Accidentally Resulted in a Sky Penis, Officials Say

Six F-35 Joint Strike Fighters simulating aggressor air training accidentally created contrails that resembled a penis.

Leland Thomas, 87, receives handshakes from children at the Korean War Memorial on Nov. 8, 2018. Thomas served in both Korea and Vietnam as a combat cameraman, and conducted interviews with prisoners of war. (Oriana Pawlyk/Military.com)

War Memorial Visits Offer Reflection, Closure for Vets on Honor Flight Journey

The Kansas vets made the trek from Wichita through the Honor Flight Network, an organization that brings veterans to D.C.

Retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole, a co-pilot in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, raises a glass to toast the 74th anniversary of the raid on April 18, 2016, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Photo: Airman 1st Class Stormy Archer)

Last of the Doolittle Raiders, Dick Cole, Dies at 103

Retired Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole, the last veteran of the "Doolittle Raid" on Tokyo during World War II, died Tuesday.

The teal ribbon is a national symbol of support for victims of sexual assault.

Facing Sexual Assault Charges, Air Force Colonel Heads to Court-Martial

The Air Force brought charges against McNamara in October following an investigation that began in 2019.

Air Force Global Strike Command bombers perform the Super Bowl LV flyover.

How the Air Force Pulled Off the First-Ever Super Bowl Flyover with All 3 Bombers

The B-52, which dates back to the early 1960s, had to keep in line with its B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit cousins.

Retired But Still Flying, the F-117 Nighthawk May Soon Fade to Black

How did the "retired" F-117 Nighthawk plane make its way onto a flightline?

Aircrew egress systems specialists hoist an F-16 Fighting Falcon canopy

Lawmakers Move to Protect Pilots from Ejection Seat Problems

Lawmakers plan to require the Air Force and the Navy to notify them when the live-saving seats are in need of repair.

Two A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft fly a flight training mission March 16, 2010, over Moody Air Force Base, Ga. The A-10C is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close-air support of ground forces. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Benjamin Wiseman)

Congress Rebuffs Air Force's Plan to Retire Older Aircraft, Putting A-10 Move on Hold

Lawmakers would block the retirement of the A-10s again if the recent Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the bill...

Former Airman Who Leaked Details of Drone Program Sentenced, Will Serve Prison Time

A former Air Force intelligence analyst has been sentenced to 45 months in prison for leaking classified information.

Biden shakes hands with Iraqi prime minister in Oval Office.

US Ending Combat Role in Iraq by End of Year

The United States will formally end its combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year, President Joe Biden announced Monday.

Frank Kendall III, President Joe Biden's nominee to be secretary of the Air Force, appears for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Senate Confirms Frank Kendall to Lead Air Force

Despite facing several holds during the confirmation process, senators ultimately voted to confirm Frank Kendall as the 26th...

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Most Popular Military News

Maj Gen. William Cooley addresses Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Pitch Day at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio.

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Latest Military Videos

China Criticises US over Taiwan Trade Pact Plan

China’s government on Thursday criticised the United States' plans to sign a trade treaty with Taiwan. (June 1) AP

German FM describes country's support for Sweden NATO membership

Germany’s Foreign Minister on Thursday stressed that Sweden has her country's“full support” to join NATO. (June 1) AP

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U.S. and Japanese Coast Guard ships arrived in Manila on Thursday to conduct joint operations with members of the...

AI Dominates London Robot Show

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Investigations and Features

The Threat from Extremist Groups Is Growing. Service Members and Vets Are Getting Sucked into the Violence.

The U.S. intelligence community deemed racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism -- with adherents such as white...

They Said the Rise in Military Suicide Is a Mystery. Traumatic Brain Injury May Be an Answer.

Veterans who have had a head injury are at higher risk for suicide, but these deaths can be prevented, experts say.

Army News

U.S. soldiers assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 9 Calvary Regiment, drive an M2 Bradley fighting vehicle during a fire support coordination exercise as part of Griffin Shock 23 at Bemowo Piskie, Poland.

Griffin Shock Sends 'Clear Message' on NATO Strength Amid War in Ukraine

Involving more than 3,000 soldiers from eight U.S. units and their enablers, and four other NATO countries -- Poland, Romania...

U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, ‘Arctic Angels,’ clear an enemy bunker while assaulting their objective during a combined arms live-fire exercise at the infantry squad battle course on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Soldier Killed in Alaska Base Collision Identified

The U.S. Army has identified the 11th Airborne Division soldier killed in a collision late Sunday on Joint Base Elmendorf...

Navy News

Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Blessing Idahosa disburses a mailing address card to Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Charles Riley so that he can receive mail aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan.

Navy Retiree Pay Continues to Be Plagued with Technical Glitches

The Navy's efforts to deal with a software glitch that led to more than 1,200 of its retirees owing money to the federal...

A Navy Region Hawaii employee points to a valve as he explains the pipe configurations of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Hawaii Department of Health officials during a site visit at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.

Navy Wants to Remove 3 Pipelines at Red Hill Fuel Facility

The Navy announced Wednesday it wants to dismantle the pipelines connecting the massive fuel tanks at its underground Red...

Air Force News

The welcome sign on display at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Defense Secretary Orders No Drag Shows on Military Bases After Political Furor

A Defense Department-wide prohibition on drag shows on military bases has resulted in the cancellation of at least two events...

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense (SAC-D), during the National Guard and Reserve posture hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington.

'Will Never Happen Again': National Guard Chief Assures Lawmakers After Top Secret Docs Leaked

The general who oversees the National Guard vowed Thursday that another leak like the recent massive intelligence breach...

Space Force News

President Joe Biden falls on stage during the 2023 United States Air Force Academy Graduation Ceremony at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo.

White House Says Biden Is 'Fine' After He Tripped and Fell on Stage at Air Force Graduation

President Joe Biden fell on stage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation Thursday, and the White House said he was "fine"...

Florida’s Patrick Space Force Base was announced as the preferred headquarters location for STARCOM, the Air Force’s training and education command.

Space Force's STARCOM HQ Preferred Location Is Florida Base, Service Says

The Department of the Air Force selected Florida's Patrick Space Force Base on Wednesday as the preferred headquarters...

Marine Corps News

Poisoned Water: How a Navy Ship Dumped Fuel and Sickened Its Own Crew

A years-long investigation reveals that the Boxer unintentionally compromised its own water supply in 2016.

Three off-duty Marines were kicked and punched by 30 teenagers and young adults near the San Clemente Pier

9 Minors Arrested in Memorial Day Melee Between Dozens of Young People and 3 Marines

Nine minors were arrested Tuesday after a melee near the San Clemente Pier over Memorial Day weekend in which a group of 30...

Coast Guard News

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas delivered the keynote address at the Coast Guard Academy

Sending Out Ensigns on Humanitarian Missions, Coast Guard Academy Graduates 243

The United States Coast Guard Academy graduated 243 students at its 142nd commencement, preparing to send many to far-off...

U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Unit (PSU) 311 members and U.S. Navy Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 11 members complete joint agency exercises aboard a 32-foot transportable port security boat off San Clemente Island.

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Plane with 3 Passengers that Crashed off California Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a plane that crashed in the ocean near San Clemente Island on Wednesday...