Jennifer Barnhill

In addition to her reporting, Jennifer Barnhill is also the host of Military Dinner Table Conversations, a monthly reverse town hall with military families. She is the author of The Military Stories You've Been Told: And the Ones You Need to Hear (October 2025) as well as the 2025 AFI Navy Spouse of the Year, a 2023 Bush Institute StandTo Veteran Leadership Program Scholar, the editor-in-chief of the National Military Spouse Network’s Career Connections Magazine and the military spouse liaison on The League of Wives Memorial Project.

Latest Articles

The minuteman statue in front of the headquarters building following a snow storm

Why No One Understands National Guard Families

Despite making headlines for helping after the catastrophic flooding in Texas or being politicized as President Donald Trump...

Applications sit on a table at Marston Pavilion aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., for potential volunteers with Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.

The Cost of Spouse Volunteerism

Military spouses are often encouraged to pursue volunteerism as a way to stay professionally relevant during relocations and...

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

For Military Spouses, OPSEC Isn't Political. It's Personal.

Military families know that OPSEC is more than a political talking point; it is a matter of life and death.

A teacher engages her 5th grade students in an interactive lesson at Kessler Elementary School

The Trump Administration Wants to Promote School Vouchers for Military Families. Would It Help?

In January, the Trump administration issued an executive order requiring the Department of Defense to come up with a proposal...

A military spouse carries a copy of their resume during a job fair at Ramstein Air Base.

Pentagon Ruling Eases One Employment Barrier for Military Spouses Overseas

Rules that had prevented some military spouses from holding jobs while stationed overseas have been relaxed, a parting gift...

Middle School students are picked up by bus

Banned Books, School Walkouts, Child Care Shortages: Military Families Confront Pentagon's Shifting Rules

At a public school, the protest might have led to a detention and maybe some revoked after-school privileges. But on a...

The Daily Stress Weighing on Military Spouses

The stress the military community holds is not just related to our proximity to deployments or combat zones. It is woven into...

A crew removes the statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson

How the Trump Administration Is Erasing History and Ignoring the Wishes of Descendants of Confederate Leaders

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently renamed Fort Liberty, North Carolina, choosing the name Fort Bragg. Not that Bragg...

person types on a laptop keyboard in North Andover, Mass.

The Return to Work Order Is Creating Chaos, Anguish for Military Spouses

Military spouse unemployment has been around 20% for half a century.

free hiring event held for service members, veterans and military spouses

Military Families Need the Same Legal Protections as Service Members

Although many states offer legal protections that could theoretically prevent discrimination on the basis of marital status -...

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Adrienne Warren, the 99th Air Base Wing command chief, greets drivers during a Suicide Prevention Awareness Month base wave-in at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

What Happens to Military Families After a Loved One's Suicide?

When a member of the military community dies by suicide, their neighbors, friends, brothers in arms, and families gather...

Does the Military Need Social Media Influencers?

New military influencers are popping up daily talking about military life -- the good, the bad and the ugly.

Military family members give a thumbs up while flying over Albuquerque

How Are Foreign-Born Military Spouses Doing?

Being a military spouse is challenging, and for foreign-born spouses, there are even more stressors to keeping a family...

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

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., left, confronts House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Federal Government Shutdown Grinds into a Second Week as Tempers Flare at the Capitol

As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) questions U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Trump Targets Blumenthal, Calling for Investigation into Senator's Vietnam Service Claims

President Donald Trump is targeting U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal again after Connecticut’s senior U.S. senator grilled U.S...

Pvt. Paul Douglas, age 50, performs a rifle inspection with his drill instructor aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot S.C., 1942. Douglas, at age 50 was the oldest recruit in the history of Parris Island, and went on to become a purple heart recipient and Chicago senator (DVIDS).

At 50, He Survived Marine Boot Camp — Then Fought at Peleliu and Okinawa

When 50-year-old Paul Douglas showed up at Marine Corps boot camp in 1942, the white-haired economics professor looked more...

Pack and transport platoon of the Russian army. Southern Military District. Ministry of Defense of Russia (Wikimedia Commons).

Ukrainian Drones Attack Russian Cavalry Troops in Rare 21st-Century Encounter

A short video circulating online this month appears to show a Russian mounted patrol being struck by a Ukrainian drone near...

When The Government Can Afford Everything Except The Essentials

Every shutdown forces the government to decide what counts as “essential.” Air traffic controllers and TSA agents fall into...

Troops Will Miss Paychecks Next Week Without Action on the Government Shutdown

The federal government shutdown is raising anxiety levels among service members and their families, because those in uniform...

Latest Military Videos

Should You Accept the First Job Offer?

All jobs aren’t created equal, and in the frenzy and frustration of a post-military job search, anything that feels...

This Medal of Honor Recipient Reenlisted to Avenge his Brother's Death in Korea

Ronald Rosser, who had already served three years in the Army, signed back up for one simple reason: revenge...

'Greatest' US Soldier Took a Tank Round to the Leg and Kept Fighting

The accounts of everyone who watched Matt Urban mount a tank under heavy fire in Normandy were "remarkably consistent"...

Wreckage of Turkish Military Cargo Plane that Crashed in Georgia

A Turkish accident investigation team reached the crash site of a military cargo plane early Wednesday and was inspecting...

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 Secretary Set to Meet with Zelenskyy to Help with Ukraine Peace Talks, Officials Say

Several high-ranking Army officials, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, are in Ukraine to help with peace talks, U.S...

25th Infantry Division troops burn out a Japanese pill box at Baguio in the Philippines, 23 March 1945. (Wikimedia Commons)

From Pearl Harbor to Japan: How 25th Infantry Division Earned its 'Tropic Lightning' Name in WWII

This newly organized unit soon became one of the war's most aggressive fighting forces. It was one of only two Army divisions...

Navy News

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during the swearing-in ceremony of Gen. William Rincon as the new national police director in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

US Rebukes Gustavo Petro, Calls Colombian Leader ‘Illegal Drug Dealer’

Colombian President Gustavo Petro had choice words for the U.S. and others staking claim in the Caribbean as tensions rise...

Top US Admiral Says He’s Watching China’s Rapid Naval Buildup Closely

The top U.S. admiral has called China’s shipbuilding capability “impressive” as Beijing moves ahead with a rapid buildup of...

Air Force News

Postal workers wear masks and gloves as they sort mail at the United States Postal Service processing and distribution center on Thursday, April 30, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Final Salute for Airman Found Dead in USPS Machine

An Air Force veteran was recently found dead inside a mail-handling machine at a Michigan USPS facility after going missing...

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during the NATO-Industry Forum (NIF) 2025, in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

White Paper Circulating Pentagon Calls For New Aircraft Plan With NATO: Exclusive

Military.com has exclusively learned that a white paper on U.S. aircraft in association with NATO allies is moving through...

Space Force News

U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Rachel Harmon and Master Sgt. Tom Anderson, weapons loaders assigned to the 174th Attack Wing, checks an inert GBU 12 laser guided missile on an MQ-9 Reaper at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base in Springfield, Ohio.

Two Space Force Units Bring the 'Invisible Front Line' to Ohio

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting is planned for Friday for the Space Intelligence Production Cell at the Springfield-Beckley Air...

A painting of a Defense Support Program satellite from the Air Force Art collection. DSP provides a variety of national security capabilities. Its flagship mission of launch detection was made famous during the Cold War. (U.S. Air Force image)

Clearing The Orbits: Space Force Partnerships In Orbital Cleanup

The growing congestion of Earth orbit has raised risks to satellites, space stations, and long-term space sustainability. The...

Marine Corps News

The procession of graduating midshipmen, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis

Jurors Convict Man for Posing as Decorated Veteran, POW and Reaping $146K in Benefits

Mikhail Robin Wicker, 39, of Dilworth was found guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Paul of wire fraud, mail fraud, using a...

Lance Cpl. Steven M. Lipscomb in his official military photo. (Photo from Department of War)

Hero to the End: Marine Corps Veteran Killed Rescuing Coal Miners

Marine Corps veteran Steve Lipscomb was killed saving others in a coal mine accident on Nov. 8.

Coast Guard News

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., arrives at the chamber.

Senators Want Answers From Coast Guard on How it Probes Displays of Swastikas or Other Hate Symbols

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., warned that “relaxing policies aimed at fighting hate crimes not only sends the wrong message to...

Coast Guardsmen assigned to the Law Enforcement Detachment conduct small boat operations with sailors assigned to the littoral combat ship USS Charleston during a southern border support mission in the Pacific Ocean, May 30, 2025. (Navy Seaman Joey Sitter, DoW).

Coast Guard Reverses Course on Policy to Call Swastikas and Nooses 'Potentially Divisive'

The U.S. Coast Guard has released a new, firmer policy addressing the display of hate symbols like swastikas and nooses just...