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

President Donald J. Trump signs the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs)

Trump's Promises to Radically Change the Military

In this episode, we spoke to two experts with collective decades of experience in analyzing the promises President-elect...

The Battle over Veterans’ Health Care: How the Republican Majority Hopes to Reshape the VA

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Troop Pardons Set to Complicate Military's Muddled Response to Jan. 6

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Insert the "doink doink" from "Law & Order" here. (U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Joshua Magbanua)

Army Veteran Caught Faking Severe PTSD, Purple Heart Award to Steal $779,000, Feds Say

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Retired Gen. Mark Milley says he’s grateful to President Joe Biden for a pardon.

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin

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Both sides have taken tough negotiating postures that leave little room for compromise.

Latest Military Videos

President-Elect Donald Trump Pays Respects To Former President Jimmy Carter in the Capitol Rotunda

President-elect Donald Trump, who has alternated among praising, criticizing and even mocking Jimmy Carter, came Wednesday to the Capitol...

Ukraine President Says Deadly Russian Strike On Zaporizhzhia ‘Absolutely Deliberate'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia's latest attack on Zaporizhzhia, which killed at least 13 people and injured around...

Why Greenland? Remote but Resource-Rich Island Occupies Key Position in Warming World

Remote, icy and mostly pristine, Greenland plays an outsized role in the daily weather experienced by billions of people...

Denmark Prime Minister Responds After Trump Refuses To Rule Out Taking Control of Greenland

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the US Denmark’s “most important and closest ally" in response to President-elect Donald...

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

Space where a portrait of retired Gen. Mark Milley hung

Mark Milley's Portrait Disappears from Pentagon on Trump's Inauguration Day

The portrait of Milley hung in an ornate hallway that is dedicated to the history of the Joint Chiefs and displays 19 other...

Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers

Veterans in Oath Keepers, Proud Boys Convicted for Jan. 6 Crimes Have Sentences Commuted by Trump

Five of the Oath Keepers who had sentences commuted by the president -- including Rhodes, who was facing 18 years in prison...

Navy News

Boarding team members from USS James E. Williams board North Korean cargo vessel Dai Hong Dan to provide assistance on Oct. 30, 2007. (U.S. Navy)

That Time US Navy and North Korean Sailors Teamed Up to Battle Somali Pirates

While the United States isn't specifically required to help North Korea, an important part of the U.S. Navy's ongoing mission...

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa.

Yemen's Houthis Signal They'll Now Limit Their Attacks in the Red Sea Corridor to Israeli Ships

The Houthis' announcement, made in an email sent to shippers, likely won't be enough to encourage global firms to reenter the...

Air Force News

Capt. Matthew Lohmeier instructs a trainee

He Met Trump After Being Booted from the Space Force. Then, He Was Tapped to Help Lead the Air Force.

The now-president announced on social media that Matthew Lohmeier would become his nominee to be the second-highest civilian...

Dr. Troy E. Meink, principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office

Trump Names Former KC-135 Navigator, Spy Agency Official to Be Next Air Force Secretary

Trump said on social media that Troy Meink, currently the principal director of the National Reconnaissance Office, was his...

Space Force News

He Met Trump After Being Booted from the Space Force. Then, He Was Tapped to Help Lead the Air Force.

The now-president announced on social media that Matthew Lohmeier would become his nominee to be the second-highest civilian...

Trump Names Former KC-135 Navigator, Spy Agency Official to Be Next Air Force Secretary

Trump said on social media that Troy Meink, currently the principal director of the National Reconnaissance Office, was his...

Marine Corps News

Gen. Eric M. Smith departs an UH-Y at Marine Corps Base Camp Schwab on Okinawa

'Going the Wrong Way:' Booting Marines from Okinawa Could Embolden China, Commandant Says

Gen. Eric Smith said the planned transfer of Okinawa-based Marines to Guam in the coming years will distance the force from a...

Troop Pay Is Competitive with Civilian Workers, Pentagon Finds in Quadrennial Review

The Quadrenial Review of Military Compensation was unveiled and reported that "the department's compensation package is...

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan delivers remarks

Trailblazing Coast Guard Commandant Fired by Trump Administration

Adm. Linda Fagan, the first woman to serve in the Coast Guard's top job, was relieved following the swearing-in ceremony for...

A Caucus of Military Veterans Seeks to Bridge the Political Divide in a Polarized Congress

In a deeply partisan Congress, one group of lawmakers with a shared background is working in a bipartisan way to try to pass...