Rebecca Kheel

Rebecca Kheel specializes in covering Congress for Military.com, holding lawmakers accountable for how their decisions affect military personnel and veterans. She has covered the intersection of Congress and the military for nearly a decade, previously working as a defense reporter at The Hill. Kheel’s award-winning work has been recognized with the 2022 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation Honorable Mention for National Defense Reporting and the 2023 Joe Galloway Award from Military Reporters & Editors, among other honors.

Prior to coming to Washington, D.C., she was a local reporter at the Orange County Register in her home state of California. She has a bachelor’s degree in newspaper journalism and history from Syracuse University.

Email: rebecca.kheel@military.com

Latest Articles

A U.S. Air Force financial management duty identifier patch is seen on an Airman

Compromise Defense Bill Would Give Junior Troops 14.5% Pay Raise in 2025

Junior enlisted service members will get a 14.5% pay raise next year under a compromise defense bill expected to pass...

Lt. Col. Francesca Desriviere, a certified nurse midwife at Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia, conducts an abdominal ultrasound during a routine obstetrics appointment on March 29, 2023.

Proposed Expansion of IVF Coverage for Troops Scuttled from Compromise Defense Bill

An expansion of coverage for fertility treatments for service members was left out of a compromise defense bill despite...

Children supporting transgender rights protest during a rally outside of the Supreme Court in Washington.

Health Care for Transgender Military Kids Could Be Banned by Must-Pass Defense Bill

Transgender children of service members could lose access to gender-affirming health care through the military health system...

Former President Donald Trump greets members of the National Guard.

New Poll Shows Boost of Confidence in Military Driven by Republicans and Trump's Election

The American public's confidence in the military rose this year after Republican sentiment turned around following President...

Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, boards a C-17 cargo plane at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Donahue is the final American service member to depart Afghanistan.

General Known as Last Soldier in Afghanistan Gets Promotion Approved After Republican Ends Delay

A promotion for the general who became known as the last U.S. soldier out of Afghanistan was approved by the Senate after a...

Democrats and Republicans stand to applaud as President Joe Biden speaks about former Rep. John Lewis as he delivers the 2024 State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

100 Veterans Will Serve in Congress at the Start of Next Year

The results of this year's election point to a slow but steady growth in veterans in Congress.

GOP Senator Stalls Promotion of General Who Became Symbol of Afghanistan Withdrawal

Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who has been nominated to receive a fourth star and take command of U.S. Army forces in Europe...

President-elect Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk

Musk, Ramaswamy Proposal to Slash Spending Could Include VA Medical Services

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed that they plan to target "unauthorized" federal spending, a category that includes...

Police Report Sheds New Light on Pentagon Nominee Hegseth's Sexual Encounter that Led to Assault Allegation

Pete Hegseth, who is tapped to lead the military and the nation's largest federal bureaucracy, has vehemently denied the...

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., smiles as he speaks to supporters during an election night rally at the Elks Lodge in Murphysboro, Ill.

House Approves Wide-Ranging Veterans Bill After Bipartisan Compromise Reached

A wide-ranging veterans policy bill that would bolster home caregiver programs and support for homeless veterans, among other...

Who Is Doug Collins? A Look at Trump's Pick to Head the VA

The former Georgia congressman is a Southern Baptist minister and Air Force colonel.

ultrasound in the Women’s Health Clinic at Wilford Hall Surgical Ambulatory Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland

Lawmakers Want More Flexibility for Pregnant Troops to Change Tricare Plans

In an effort to improve prenatal care for troops and family members, a group of lawmakers wants to give Tricare users more...

Aaron Provost Illustration for Military.com

Toxic Exposure Screenings: Vets Report Spotty Follow-Up on Questionnaire Meant to Boost Health Care and Benefits

Rolled out with great fanfare in November 2022, toxic exposure screenings for all VA patients were mandated by the PACT Act...

Pete Hegseth shakes hands with Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance

'He's Going to Have to Explain It': Surprise Defense Secretary Pick's History Takes Center Stage

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's surprise pick to be the next defense secretary, has an extensive history of...

Voting assistance brochure at Moody Air Force Base

Fewer Military Ballots Mailed from Overseas Ahead of 2024 Election Compared to 2020

About 20,000 fewer military ballots were cast by mail from overseas in the weeks leading up to this year's election than in...

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

Pete Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary.

Military Leaders Are Rattled by a List of 'Woke' Officers That a Group Urges Hegseth to Fire

The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a...

Compromise Defense Bill Would Give Junior Troops 14.5% Pay Raise in 2025

Junior enlisted service members will get a 14.5% pay raise next year under a compromise defense bill expected to pass...

Vietnam veterans sing during a Vietnam Veterans Day celebration at the Veterans Association of North County, Oceanside

Here Is the 2025 Pay Raise for Disabled Veterans and Military Retirees

Military retirees and disabled veterans will receive 2.5% increases to their monthly paychecks for 2025, thanks to the annual...

President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Trump Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Ukraine and Says a US Withdrawal from NATO Is Possible

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Trump's post by repeating Moscow’s long-standing message that it is open to...

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, watch a controlled fire during Exercise Formosa in Formosa, Brazil.

Marines Face Tough Choices as Reenlistment Bonuses Are Threatened by Congress' Late Budgets

Reenlistment bonuses for 933 Marines are at risk of not being paid out by the Marine Corps because Congress cannot agree to...

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing prepares to land for a hot-pit refuel at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.

Hundreds of Airmen Will Move from South Dakota Base to North Dakota Starting This Month

Hundreds of airmen and a fleet of B-1B Lancer bombers will be temporarily relocating from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South...

Latest Military Videos

US Defense Secretary Austin Meets with Japanese Defense Minister

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Japanese counterpart during a visit to Tokyo on Tuesday. (Dec. 10)...

Drone Pictures Show Damaged Syria Research Centre in Damascus after Israeli Airstrikes Overnight

Drone pictures showed the badly damaged Syria Research Centre in Damascus on Tuesday after Israeli airstrikes hit Syria overnight...

Pete Hegseth Returns to Capitol Hill as He Looks to Bolster Support for His Pentagon Nomination

Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, former Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth, was back on Capitol Hill Monday...

Trump Says a US Withdrawal from NATO is Possible

In an NBC interview taped Friday, President-elect Donald Trump renewed his warning to NATO allies that he did not...

Investigations and Features

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...

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.

For years, it was an open secret among missileers that the Cold War-era missile alert facilities and launch control centers...

Army News

The Army Black Knights square off against the Navy Midshipmen on Dec. 14, 2019. (U.S. Army/Sgt. James Harvey)

Who Wore It Best: A Brief History of the Army-Navy Game Special Uniforms

Nearly every year since 2008, the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen have arrived at their annual rivalry game wearing a...

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, speaks with reporters at the Senate subway on Capitol Hill, March 12, 2024, in Washington.

Maine Senator Introduces Bill to Study Low-Level Blast Injuries on Military Personnel

U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) unveiled a bill on Tuesday that would study the impact of "repetitive low-level blast injuries...

Navy News

Who Wore It Best: A Brief History of the Army-Navy Game Special Uniforms

Nearly every year since 2008, the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen have arrived at their annual rivalry game wearing a...

Meredith Berger, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment and chief sustainability officer, speaks with members of the community while removing invasive plant species at the at the Kanehekili Heiau in Hawaii.

Navy, Marines Team Up with University of Hawaii on Resource Management

The University of Hawaii and the Department of the Navy have signed an unprecedented 10-year agreement aimed at safeguarding...

Air Force News

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flosi greets airmen preparing to depart for Exercise Agile Reaper at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Congress Shaves Beard Pilot Program for Air Force, Space Force from Must-Pass Defense Legislation

Congress has decided to pass on ordering the Department of the Air Force to establish a pilot program examining whether...

Maine Senator Introduces Bill to Study Low-Level Blast Injuries on Military Personnel

U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) unveiled a bill on Tuesday that would study the impact of "repetitive low-level blast injuries...

Space Force News

Congress Shaves Beard Pilot Program for Air Force, Space Force from Must-Pass Defense Legislation

Congress has decided to pass on ordering the Department of the Air Force to establish a pilot program examining whether...

Maine Senator Introduces Bill to Study Low-Level Blast Injuries on Military Personnel

U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) unveiled a bill on Tuesday that would study the impact of "repetitive low-level blast injuries...

Marine Corps News

Navy, Marines Team Up with University of Hawaii on Resource Management

The University of Hawaii and the Department of the Navy have signed an unprecedented 10-year agreement aimed at safeguarding...

Maine Senator Introduces Bill to Study Low-Level Blast Injuries on Military Personnel

U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) unveiled a bill on Tuesday that would study the impact of "repetitive low-level blast injuries...

Coast Guard News

Maine Senator Introduces Bill to Study Low-Level Blast Injuries on Military Personnel

U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) unveiled a bill on Tuesday that would study the impact of "repetitive low-level blast injuries...

The Coast Guard's newest icebreaker, pictured on Dec. 5, is to be commissioned the Storis, a nod to the medium endurance cutter and light icebreaker Storis which, when it was decommissioned in 2007, had served for 65 years.

Coast Guard's Newest Icebreaker to Honor Storis, the Historic Cutter Known for 6 Decades of Service

An amateur photographer and ship buff took photos of the commercial icebreaker Aiviq last week sporting a coat of Coast Guard...

Rebecca Kheel

Latest Articles

Military News

Select Service

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Most Popular Military News

Latest Military Videos

Investigations and Features

Army News

Navy News

Air Force News

Space Force News

Marine Corps News

Coast Guard News