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

Hegseth and Other Top Trump Officials Just Failed OPSEC Jeff

The Atlantic editor-in-chief published a bombshell article detailing how members of the administration had accidentally...

Child Development Center Hill Air Force Base

Families at Utah Air Force Base Lose Day Care Center as Pentagon Slashes Personnel Spending

Hill Air Force Base in Utah has closed one of its two day care centers, harming quality of life for some service members...

An operating room specialist rinses surgical instruments

As Pentagon's Top Health Nominee Prepares for Confirmation Hearing, One Senator Has a Lot of Questions

Keith Bass, a retired Navy commander who previously led the White House Medical Unit and the CIA's medical service office...

Middle School students are picked up by bus

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

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Rep. Chuck Edwards talks during a town hall

Military Veterans Are Becoming the Face of Trump's Government Cuts and Democrats' Resistance

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Veterans Day Ceremony at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, Miss.

Lawmakers Try Again on Bill to Give 50,000 Medically Retired Veterans Full VA Disability, Retirement Pay

The Major Richard Star Act, which has been floated since 2020, has the support of more than 40 veterans' organizations and...

Latest Military Videos

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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

Ranger and Sapper Assessment Program at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa.

Ranger School Is Getting a New Fitness Assessment

The Army's elite Ranger School, long regarded as one of the most grueling leadership courses in the military, is rolling out...

B-17 Flying Fortresses fly over Hungary during World War II.

How a World War II Tail Gunner Survived a Midair Collision Without a Parachute

Sgt. James Raley's account came almost three months to the day after he improbably survived that fall from the skies over...

Navy News

John Phelan, right, President Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of the Navy

Senate Confirms Investment Banker John Phelan as Navy Secretary

The Navy has a new civilian leader with a hefty business resume but no military experience after the Senate voted Monday...

As Pentagon's Top Health Nominee Prepares for Confirmation Hearing, One Senator Has a Lot of Questions

Keith Bass, a retired Navy commander who previously led the White House Medical Unit and the CIA's medical service office...

Air Force News

How a World War II Tail Gunner Survived a Midair Collision Without a Parachute

Sgt. James Raley's account came almost three months to the day after he improbably survived that fall from the skies over...

Families at Utah Air Force Base Lose Day Care Center as Pentagon Slashes Personnel Spending

Hill Air Force Base in Utah has closed one of its two day care centers, harming quality of life for some service members...

Space Force News

NASA astronaut Col. Nick Hague is helped out of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft

First Space Force Guardian Launched into Space Returns with Stranded Astronauts

As the commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission, Col. Nick Hague traveled 72,553,920 miles, spent 171 days in space, and...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.

FAA Issues Environmental Take on SpaceX Request for More Launches, New Landing Pad

If SpaceX gets its way, the Space Coast will get a lot more rocket rumbles and sonic booms as the company increases Falcon 9...

Marine Corps News

Senate Confirms Investment Banker John Phelan as Navy Secretary

The Navy has a new civilian leader with a hefty business resume but no military experience after the Senate voted Monday...

Boston VA Faces Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Veteran's 'Premature and Preventable Death'

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Coast Guard News

The National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, opens to the public on March 25, 2025. (National Medal of Honor Museum)

5 Powerful Artifacts in the New National Medal of Honor Museum

The new National Medal of Honor Museum is set to officially open to the public on March 25, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.

Marines with Marine Forces Special Operations Command push a zodiac into the water during the Gung Ho portion of Raider Week at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The Age Ranges for Joining US Military Special Operations Programs

You have many options that may or may not require an age waiver. It's time to get to work on that dream job.