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About Thomas Novelly
Thomas Novelly is a reporter for Military.com, where he specializes in coverage of issues that directly impact 700,000 airmen and Guardians and their families. His work ranges from investigations into cancer and health concerns among service members who protect America's nuclear missiles to safety issues with the military's Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, as well as features into marginalized communities and profiles of Department of the Air Force leadership.
For nearly a decade, he has covered military communities and federal politics across the country from the Mile High City in Colorado to the Lowcountry of South Carolina and beyond. He previously was the military and politics reporter for the Post and Courier newspaper in Charleston.
He won best breaking news story from the Society of Professional Journalists Louisville Pro Chapter in 2018 for reporting on the FBI's investigation of the University of Louisville basketball team. In 2021, he was part of a team of reporters named as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for a series titled "Rising Water," which examined widespread climate issues and flooding across Charleston. In 2024, he was a Pulitzer Center grantee who investigated health concerns among America's missileers.
Expertise
- Air Force/Space Force quality-of-life expert
- Journalist since 2017
Professional Roles
- Air and Space Force reporter for Military.com
- Post and Courier military and politics reporter
- Courier Journal breaking news reporter
Education
- Holds a bachelor's degree in politics and journalism from Hillsdale College
Achievements
- Part of a team that was a 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist
- Pulitzer Center Grantee 2024
- SPJ Louisville Best Breaking New Story 2018
Connect with Thomas
Email: thomas.novelly@military.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-novelly-36aa4168/
![Marines at the border wall](http://images03.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2025-04/staff-border-wall-marines-wire-1800.jpg?itok=a3dIOHTu "Marines were deployed here to reinforce barriers during President Donald Trump's first term, but they were not armed with the long guns their Guardian Angels carry now, NPR reported. An old policy from the very unit these Marines come from said Guardian Angels must watch over their units' security with an "ambush mentality." (Drew F. Lawrence/Military.com)")
![a ceremony to unveil a new naval destroyer at a western port in Nampo, North Korea](http://images02.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2025-04/ApNewsroom_Koreas_Tensions_78618.jpg?itok=wFUm3P1x "In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, second right, and his daughter, third right, seen at bottom right, attend a ceremony to unveil a new naval destroyer at a western port in Nampo a launching ceremony at a western port in Nampo, North Korea, Friday, April 25, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)")
