News Investigations & Features

Toxic mold making military families sick. Sexual assault and harrassment that turns service into a nightmare. The legacy of burn pits and the fight for medical care for veterans.

These are just some of the stories that our newsroom has doggedly covered, serving as a watchdog for the military community while telling the stories of current and retired service members and their families. That includes deep, months-long investigations revealing wrongdoing, and carefully crafted features that help our community share a bit of who they are.

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(Zach Meyer/For The Washington Post)

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor arrives at the ROTC building on a university campus

Kings of Campus: How Some Army Instructors Use Their Clout to Prey on College Cadets

A patch in the home of retired missileer Paul Hunke

They Stood Sentry over America's Nuclear Missile Arsenal. Many Worry It Gave Them Cancer.

Illustration of frustrated man on computer

Canceled Appointments, Unexplained Mixups – Veterans Facing Challenges Getting VA Mental Health Care

Latest Investigations and Features

'Soldiers' Angels' Military Non-Profit Puts 'Food First' in Orlando, FL Distribution

'Soldiers' Angels' Non-Profit Puts 'Food First' To Help Military Families

Military service can be a long and lonely road. From overseas deployments, to families left behind, to financial constraints...

The body of missing Navy veteran Margaret Hanley was found on Feb. 21. (Facebook)

Body of Missing Navy Veteran, 72, Found in Georgia

After being reported missing since early February, the body of a Navy veteran was found in a remote area of southeastern...

SVA table at Illinois State University. Source: DVIDS

Questions Mount Over Who Student Veterans of America Serves And How It Spends

Student Veterans of America filings show most revenue goes to salaries and consulting, not direct support, raising questions...

Employees with the Fort Hood Directorate of Public Works unveil the updated Bernie Beck Gate sign during the renaming ceremony on July 28, 2025, at Fort Hood, Texas. U.S. Army photo by Janecze Wright, Fort Hood Public Affairs. Source: DVIDS

From Allegation to Prosecution: The Military Case Against Maj. Blaine McGraw

The Army has formally preferred 61 criminal specifications against Maj. Blaine McGraw, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Fort...

Illustration of frustrated man on computer

Canceled Appointments, Unexplained Mixups – Veterans Facing Challenges Getting VA Mental Health Care

Veterans say they often can't get individual therapy appointments to accompany psychiatric medical care, and when they do...

A former convict turned soldier, a young Ukrainian woman with the call sign “Brooks”

The Unexpected Army: Stories of Those Who Fight for Ukraine

Ukraine's army is stretched thin and wide, redrawing the boundaries of who serves and why.

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George meet with Minister of Defence Industry and Capability for Delivery of Australia, Pay Conroy, and Chief of the Australian Army, Lt. Gen. Simon Stuart, at Mount Bundey, Australia, for a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) live-fire exercise during Talisman Sabre.

Army Puts Political Operative in Charge of Public Affairs, Stoking Concerns of Creeping Partisanship

While it's not unusual for political hands to manage messaging at the highest levels of the Pentagon, the ongoing change to...

(Zach Meyer/For The Washington Post)

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...

Col. Bree Fram salutes a flag at her promotion ceremony from lieutenant colonel that took place in December 2023 at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

'Open Cruelty': Transgender Troops Describe Indignities as They're Kicked Out of the Military

Leaders in the Trump administration have minced few words in articulating how they feel about transgender troops.

Maintainers from the 142nd Wing based in Portland, Oregon, prepare to launch an F-15EX as it prepares for takeoff at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

Decades of Troubles for Air Force Maintainers Set to Get Worse with Job Consolidation

Systemic failure sparks concern about specialty code consolidation.

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Military Headlines

Pentagon Seeks $200 Billion in Additional Funds for the Iran War, Source Says

Alaska Barge Deaths

2 Tugboat Crew Members Killed in 'Confined Space Incident' on Barge, Coast Guard Says

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Hegseth Signals 'Largest Strike Yet' Against Iran as War Escalates

Aviation Safety

FAA Mandates Radar Separation for Helicopters and Planes After Deadly DC Midair Collision

Israel Iran US

Iran Hits Back at Multiple Gulf Refineries After Israeli Strike on Its Offshore Gas Field

Iranians set fire to flags of the United States and Israel as they gather to commemorate those killed from the Dena naval vessel, at Enghelab Square on March 17, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. The Dena naval vessel was sunk by the United States in the Indian Ocean on March 4, 2026, resulting in the deaths of 84 Iranians. The United States and Israel continued their joint attack on Iran that began on Feb. 28. (Getty Images/TNS)

Iran Says US, Israel Struck Giant Gas Field as War Escalates

Divers in the water.

Drill and Workout to Help with Diver, Rescue Swimmer and Special Ops Pool Skills

APTOPIX Senate Intelligence

Top US Intelligence Officials Are Facing Tough Questions About the Iran War and Threats at Home

US Venezuela Oil Tankers

US Eases Venezuela Oil Sanctions as Trump Seeks to Boost World Oil Supply During Iran War

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Opinion

Army Spc. Caelum Astra practices scouting terrain while training for an Expert Soldier Badge at Camp Casey, South Korea, Sept. 23. 2025 (Army Pfc. Seu Chan, DoW).

What the Democrats' Video Gets Wrong About Military Professionalism

A video circulated yesterday by some U.S. lawmakers urging U.S. service members to “refuse illegal orders,” and within hours...

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Melissa A. Seel, an aerospace medical technician with the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, holds her stethoscope at the All Wars Memorial Building in Atlantic City, N.J.

Veterans’ Private Residential Treatment Must Match VA’s Quality and Cost

America manages a precarious two-tier system where vulnerable veterans can receive dramatically different care depending on...

Family Members Sign up For the EFMP at a military base.

How the Military can Streamline Moves for Families with Special Needs

Moving to a new duty station is a hallmark of military life, but for families enrolled in the Department of Defense's...

U.S. Army Officer Speaking Before a Panel

When "Unsubstantiated" Starts to Mean "False": The Army's New Complaint Policy

In July 2025 the U.S. Army announced changes to its investigative procedures that sounds simple on the surface. According to...

DVIDS (Staff Sgt. Amber Peck)

The New Iron Curtain: Why Poland’s Border with Belarus Matters to the U.S.

Decades after the Cold War ended and the Iron Curtain fell, a new divide is emerging along Poland’s eastern border with...

Heather Sweeney and her 2 children are outside the apartment they moved into after her divorce.

Still Married to the Military: How Divorcing a Service Member Makes Custody a Minefield

I was so busy figuring out divorced life that it didn’t occur to me that even though I was no longer married to a man in the...

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