Travis Tritten

Travis Tritten is the deputy managing editor for Military.com. He has more than 20 years of experience reporting on the military, government and politics in the U.S. and abroad. He was a recipient -- along with a team of Military.com reporters -- of the 2023 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation award for distinguished reporting on national defense.

Since 2014, Tritten has reported from Washington, D.C., spending most of his time at the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. Previously, he was a senior defense reporter for Bloomberg Government; a defense and national security reporter at the Washington Examiner; and a reporter with Stars and Stripes, including seven years as a Japan correspondent.

Email: Travis.Tritten@Military.com

Latest Articles

What the Pentagon Has, Hasn't and Could Do to Stop Veterans and Troops from Joining Extremist Groups

The military and its transition programs have largely failed to provide what experts say is necessary to steer troops and...

The Threat from Extremist Groups Is Growing. Service Members and Vets Are Getting Sucked into the Violence.

The U.S. intelligence community deemed racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism -- with adherents such as white...

Trading on Patriotism: How Extremist Groups Target and Radicalize Veterans

The issue of extremist groups has gained attention after the riot on Jan. 6 aimed at preventing the peaceful transfer of the...

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III speaks to Fayetteville State University ROTC students.

Austin Recounts Childhood Struggles with Racism in University Address Focused on Military Inclusion

Austin's visit comes at a time when the services are struggling to meet recruiting goals.

Aircrew Aviation Electrician's Mate Striker Brandon Caserta, 21, died by suicide on June 25, 2018. An investigation found that leadership at Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 28 in Norfolk, Virginia, "contributed" to his decision to take his own life. (Photo courtesy of the Caserta family

Pentagon Approving New Rules for Mental Health Access More Than a Year After Passage of Law Requiring Changes

The Pentagon is moving forward with a series of changes to mental health care access required by a 2021 law that was passed...

Members of the National Guard stand near a vehicle along the U.S.-Mexico border in Mission, Texas.

Pentagon Sends 1,500 Active-Duty Troops to Border as Pandemic Immigration Restrictions End

The Pentagon is sending 1,500 active-duty troops to the southwest border as federal immigration agencies and local...

2 Air Guard Leaders in Accused Pentagon Leaker's Massachusetts Unit Suspended

The 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron's operational commander and federal orders administrative commander have been...

Pentagon spokesman U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder

Nearly Two Dozen Troops Suffered Brain Injuries in Iran-backed Syria Strikes, Pentagon Now Says

The Pentagon now says 23 troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries from attacks by Iran-backed militants in Syria...

The criminal complaint against Jack Teixeira.

Federal Charges Against Air National Guardsman Allege He Spent Months Leaking Highly Sensitive Intelligence

Jack Douglas Teixeira was accused of unauthorized retention, removal and transmission of national defense information and...

Members of law enforcement assemble on a road in Dighton, Mass.

Guardsman Arrested in Pentagon Leak Case that Shook the US and Allies

Jack Douglas Teixeira was arrested by armed agents as part of the Justice Department probe into the unauthorized removal...

How Is Your Relationship? Defense Department Asks Military Couples to Weigh In

A randomized survey, which includes some difficult questions about abuse, was sent out to 300,000 troops and 100,000 military...

Coalition Forces showcase a Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Syria.

At Least 6 Troops Diagnosed with Brain Injuries After Deadly Iran-Backed Strikes in Syria

The diagnoses were made as part of ongoing medical assessments of American personnel at the two locations in northeast Syria...

Two Russian Su-27 aircraft intercept a U.S. Air Force drone over the Black Sea.

New Video Shows Russian Fighter Jet Buzzing US Drone Over Black Sea

Russian jets can be seen directly approaching and apparently dumping fuel twice on the U.S. drone as it flew over...

An MQ-9 Reaper turns out of a parking ramp.

Russian Jet Bumps Air Force Drone over Black Sea, Causing Unmanned Aircraft to Crash

Two Russian fighter jets caused an Air Force MQ-9 drone to crash in international waters during their attempt to intercept...

Aerial shot of the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

Big Pay Raises, Universal Pre-K: Biden's Pentagon Unveils Annual Budget Plans

For service members, the big spending plans for fiscal 2024 could mean the largest pay hike for troops in more than 20 years.

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Most Popular Military News

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...

U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor arrives at the ROTC building on a university campus

Kings of Campus: How Some Army Instructors Use Their Clout to Prey on College Cadets

To the young students in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), the officers who run the programs on college...

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Tricare Changes are Coming in 2025. Here’s What Beneficiaries Need to Know Right Now

Tricare beneficiaries need to be aware of changes taking place in both the East and West regions and may need to take action...

Gay pride flag flies during Pride Observance Month

Naval Academy Graduate Charged with Hate Crime After Pride Flag Ripped from Annapolis Shop

A Naval Academy graduate was charged with a hate crime after a tattoo shop in Annapolis reported its LGBTQ Pride flag had...

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.

Squad live fire exercise at Schofield Barracks

Thousands of Women Serve in Combat Roles. Pentagon Nominee Hegseth Says They Shouldn’t.

Pete Hegseth has made clear, in his own words, that he is critical of military service by women and more specifically opposes...

Latest Military Videos

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's D-Day Message

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower began drafting his Order of the Day for June 6, 1944, in February. It was...

French Military Training Ukrainian Troops Ahead of Battlefield Deployment

A French military task force with a festive name — “Champagne” — is wrapping up a mission that's no...

Ukraine Soldiers Focus on Keeping Russian Advances at Bay but Brace for Trump Taking Over in US

Ukrainian soldiers on the front know the re-election of Donald Trump in the U.S. will change their lives, but...

US Military Releases Video Said to Show Impact of Drone Strike on Houthi Rebels

The U.S. military on Wednesday said it had conducted several days of strikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels. (Nov. 14)...

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

Arthur Frommer, 83, and his daughter, Pauline Frommer, 46, pose among tourists

Arthur Frommer, Army Vet and Travel Guide Innovator, Has Died at 95

Travel writer Arthur Frommer, who revolutionized leisure travel for ordinary Americans with his guidebook “Europe on 5...

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the House GOP conference

Trump Backs 'Emergency' Plan to Use Military for Mass Deportations

Trump made mass deportation a major plank of his successful presidential campaign and has claimed more than 15 million...

Navy News

Malaysian fugitive Francis Leonard Glenn, known as Fat Leonard

'Fat Leonard' to Appeal Sentence, While Retired Navy Captain Will Seek a Reduced Charge

The prison term imposed by U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino at the Nov. 5 sentencing hearing was more than three years...

Cher's more formal look in her 1989 music video, "If I Could Turn Back Time," filmed aboard the battleship USS Missouri. (Criteron Studios)

How Cher's 'Turn Back Time' Music Video Made Even the Navy Blush

A video featuring Cher singing to a rowdy group of American sailors would have been no trouble for anyone involved -- if it...

Air Force News

Privately owned vehicles wait to enter through the Dale Mabry gate at MacDill Air Force Base.

MacDill Airman Gets 5 Years Of Probation in 'Undead Apes' Blockchain Fraud

U.S. District Judge William Jung sentenced Devin Rhoden to five years’ probation, a reflection of Rhoden’s substantial...

Two Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22B Ospreys fly low and fast in formation on a training range

The Osprey's Safety Issues Spiked over Five Years and Caused Deaths. Pilots Still Want to Fly It

The Osprey is back in the air after being grounded for months following a crash last November that killed eight U.S. service...

Space Force News

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink 4-36 payload launches

Pentagon Silent on Elon Musk and Starlink Risks as Military Use Expands

In the past year, U.S. news outlets have reported that Musk, who oversees the satellite internet provider, has developed a...

The flag of the U.S. Space Command is unfurled at the White House

Colorado Could Lose US Space Command. Trump Is Expected to Move It to Alabama.

Trump's original decision to place Space Command -- the combatant command tasked with military operations in space that was...

Marine Corps News

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln

Marine Corps F-35C Was Used in Combat for First Time to Strike Houthis, Military Confirms

Traveling at speeds of 1,200 mph, the F-35C can carry Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, air-to-air missiles and other...