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...

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

Air Force's 9th Bomb Squadron Commander Fired After Just a Couple of Months on the Job

Lt. Col. Brian Milner, the commander of the 9th Bomb Squadron, was relieved of command due to "a loss of confidence in his...

MV-22 Osprey on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan

3 Ospreys Made Forced Landings in Japan. The Marine Corps Said There Were No Indications of Clutch Issues.

The Marine Corps says that three Okinawa V-22 Ospreys that diverted from scheduled flight paths due to "caution indications"...

Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II takes part in an aerial display during the Singapore Airshow 2022

What We Know About the Marine Corps F-35 Crash, Backyard Ejection and What Went Wrong

The crash of an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in South Carolina has raised numerous questions about what prompted the...

F/A-18C Hornet on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower

I'm a Top Gun-Trained Fighter Pilot. I'd Make More Money as an Airline Pilot, But It Wouldn't Be as Fulfilling.

The Naval Academy wasn't on my radar in high school, but being a successful swimmer got me noticed by their college...

Night raid operations training at Camp Pendleton

Negligent Discharge Killed Marine Training at Camp Pendleton Last Month, Navy Report Indicates

The cause was published last month by the Naval Safety Command in a report outlining deadly incidents in the Marine Corps and...

U.S. Navy SEAL candidates run with inflatable boats on their head

Navy Looks to Punish 3 Top Officers Overseeing Navy SEAL Training After Recruit Death

SEAL candidate Kyle Mullen, 24, died of acute pneumonia shortly after completing the first, brutal portion of SEAL training...

Latest Military Videos

Chile Celebrates Independence Day With Military Parade

The President of Chile Gabriel Boric oversaw a traditional military parade on Tuesday in honor of the country's Independence...

Israeli Military Raids West Bank Refugee Camp

Israeli troops have raided the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, killing people and wounding dozens, according...

House Military Veterans Frustrated Over Failed Defense Vote

In a dramatic sign of defeat Tuesday, House Republicans were voting against their own defense bill. (Sep. 20) AP

U.S. Aid to Ukraine Caught in Political Divide as Zelenskyy Heads to Washington

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Washington this week comes at a critical juncture for his alliance with the...

Investigations and Features

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.

A physicist attaches sensors to a subject's head

The Next Frontier for Warfighters Might Be Implants in Their Brains. Is the Pentagon Ready for the Consequences?

The potential medical applications of access to the brain for treating ailments are far-ranging, but pressure to compete with...

Army News

Sen. Tommy Tuberville walks through Capitol Hill

Leaders of Army, Marine Corps, Joint Chiefs Confirmed by Senate Amid Monthslong Blockade by Tuberville

A Senate procedural maneuver by Tuberville this week forced Democrats to retreat from their earlier position -- that...

Sen. Tommy Tuberville arrives for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing

Democrats Circumvent Tuberville as Senate Moves to Finally Confirm Leaders of Army, Marine Corps, Joint Chiefs

While acting chiefs can keep the military running day-to-day, defense officials have argued they are not as effective as...

Navy News

Hedy Lamarr autographs the cement court at the United Service Organizations (USO) Hollywood Canteen as servicemen surround the movie actress on Dec. 13, 1942.

Hedy Lamarr’s Invention Changed Communications. Here’s Why the Navy Rejected it During WWII

Along with a composer named George Antheil, Lamarr developed the technological concept of frequency hopping to address a...

two South Africa Navy personnel lay covered after being recovered from the sea at Kommetjie, near Cape Town

3 South Africa Navy Personnel Die After They Are Swept Off a Submarine Deck During Supply Operation

Three South African navy personnel have died and a senior officer is in critical condition after seven crew members of a...

Air Force News

Flight instructors before their flight at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas

Air Force on Course to Again Miss Pilot Goal as Problems with Training Aircraft Persist

With little more than a week until the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, the Air Force is set to finish with 1,350 new aviators...

Unfortunately for Southern California, F-89D Scorpions carried hundreds of rockets that could be fired rapidly. (U.S. Air Force)

The Battle of Palmdale: That Time the Air Force Accidentally Bombed Southern California

Space Force News

Roger A. Towberman poses in front of his Mercedes Sprinter van

Service Was a Second Chance for the Space Force's Enlisted Leader. He Tried to Give Others the Same Shot.

During his 33-year career, Roger Towberman was stationed everywhere from Hawaii to the United Kingdom until he was selected...

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the SILENTBARKER/NROL-107 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Space Force lifts off

ULA Atlas V Launches from Space Coast on Mission for NRO and Space Force

United Launch Alliance managed what was only its second launch of the year, sending up an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral...

Marine Corps News