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...

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Most Popular Military News

Dwight D. Eisenhower was a central figure in American politics and the military during much of the 20th century.

Trump Is Renaming 7 Army Installations. Here Are the Stories Behind the Names Being Scrubbed.

President Donald Trump's announcement is the administration's latest move in its concerted effort to shift the people and...

Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd speaks to the media

Veteran Who Fired at Gunman and Inadvertently Killed Utah Protester Was a Safety Volunteer, Organizers Say

Police said that the permit for the protest did not specify that there would be armed security, and that the role and...

Air Force swearing-in ceremony in Times Square, New York

Air Force Lowered Annual Recruiting Goal Due to Budget Woes, But Still on Track to Hit Target This Month

The Air Force had to reduce its target recruiting goal by several thousand airmen due to ongoing congressional budget delays...

Photo courtesy of Ayssac Correa/Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett of The War Horse

‘They’re Taking Shirly’: An Army Sergeant Thought His Family Was Safe. Then, ICE Deported His Wife.

For tens of thousands of U.S. service members with undocumented family members, there’s no guaranteed protection from...

Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television

Air Force's Bunker-Buster Bomb Could Take Out Iran Nuclear Facility, But Israel Hints at Other Options

The Israeli campaign to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons will be considered a failure if the centrifuges deep...

Starting point of the U.S. Army 250th Birthday in Washington, D.C.

The Army Parade Was Marked by Quiet Crowds, Trump-Linked Sponsors. But Soldiers Kept Politics at Bay.

Despite the mixed feelings, the Army birthday parade was also an overdue opportunity to engage with the public and highlight...

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

Fort Carson's Museum Slated for Potential Closure

The 4th Infantry Division Museum outside Fort Carson's gate 1 is slated for closure as the Army Museum Enterprise shutters...

(Senior Airman Jessi Monte/U.S. Air Force photo)

How Much Weekly Running Is Advisable for Military Special Operations Training?

It's better to build your cardio so that running a 7-minute mile pace for 4--6 miles feels sustainable, rather than just...

Navy News

'Fat Leonard' Argues in Newly Unsealed Appeal That San Diego Judge Sentenced Him Too Harshly

The swaggering con man known as “Fat Leonard” because of his size was sentenced in November in San Diego federal court on...

Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett of The War Horse

A Navy Veteran Is Determined to Find His Own Way Through PTSD—Without VA

Each appointment with VA was another nail sealing the coffin shut, suffocating any hope that they could help me.

Air Force News

Air Force Lowered Annual Recruiting Goal Due to Budget Woes, But Still on Track to Hit Target This Month

The Air Force had to reduce its target recruiting goal by several thousand airmen due to ongoing congressional budget delays...

Air Force's Bunker-Buster Bomb Could Take Out Iran Nuclear Facility, But Israel Hints at Other Options

The Israeli campaign to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons will be considered a failure if the centrifuges deep...

Space Force News

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong speaks at Drake State Community and Technical College

Trump Talks Space Command Move to Alabama in Video Posted to Social Media

President Donald Trump was talking to U.S. Rep. Dale Strong when he seemed to confirm U.S. Space Command’s headquarters was...

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.

Marine Corps News

U.S. Marines guard a federal building in Los Angeles

A Veteran Was Detained by Marines. It Highlights Concerns over the Military's Growing Ties to Law Enforcement.

Marcos Leao's detention by Marines marks what many legal, defense and policy experts say is an unprecedented violation of the...

Volunteers remove graffiti from the Japanese American Museum

Los Angeles Mayor Lifts Downtown Curfew She Imposed During Protests Against Immigration Raids

Downtown Los Angeles businesses hoped customers would return quickly after Mayor Karen Bass lifted a curfew she had imposed...

Coast Guard News

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...

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.

Report Details Long-Standing Mold Problems at Coast Guard Academy

A federal agency has released the final report of its yearslong evaluation of indoor dampness and mold at the U.S. Coast...