Kelsey Baker

Kelsey Baker is a Military and Defense reporting fellow at Business Insider. Previously, she spent six months at The Washington Post as a 2024 Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow on the general assignment and international desks. She’s a graduate of Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism and a Marine Corps veteran.

Latest Articles

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

A U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor marches a platoon of recruits

Always Faithful, Always On: The Taxing Job of a Marine Corps Drill Instructor

Marine Corps drill instructors represent one of the most legendary roles in the military. From the 1987 war movie "Full Metal...

A drug user prepares heroin, placing a fentanyl test strip into the mixing container to check for contamination

'You Can't Fix the Problem If You're in Denial:' The Military's Surge of Fentanyl Overdoses

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and tiny amounts can kill.

"Man/Ready" Vietnam by artist Paul MacWiliams.

How Trauma Before Service is Shaping a Generation of Troops

Acknowledging the prevalence of pre-service trauma -- and how it affects adult service members -- can be helpful for many...

An Army Initial Entry Training soldier naps

Troops Still Aren't Getting Enough Sleep, and the Defense Department Isn't Taking Responsibility, Watchdog Says

A recent GAO report recommends more top-level ownership in the military to help improve troop sleeping patterns.

U.S. Army soldiers with the Wichita Recruiting Company hosted a recruitment booth at Hutchinson

The Army's Recruiting Problem Is Male

A decade of declining recruitment numbers for the Army is almost entirely attributable to a significant drop in male...

Feds Arrest Former Navy Europe Commander Alleging Bribery Scheme that Led to $500,000 Civilian Salary

Robert Burke allegedly directed the lucrative Navy contracts to the company in 2021 while serving as a four-star admiral, and...

A cavalry scout fires the M17 9mm pistol at Fort Carson

31 Pistols Went Missing from Fort Moore, Georgia. The Army Is Offering $5,000 for Information.

The M17 is a 9 mm Sig Sauer pistol with a 17-round magazine capacity. The handgun was adopted by the Defense Department in...

Veterans at Risk of Losing Homes Could Get More Time as VA Urges Extended Pause on Foreclosures

The VA's call aims to give nearly 40,000 veterans more time to find ways to stay in their homes, and comes just ahead of the...

Gavel and American flag with scales of justice.

Soldier Who Was Inspector General Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Faces Sexual Assault, Harassment Charges

Master Sgt. Christopher Dehn is set to be arraigned June 5 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state on four counts of...

Veterans Affairs Department in Washington.

VA Says It Cut Wait Times for Primary, Mental Health Care as Veteran Enrollment Surged

The shorter waits come even as the VA has enrolled more than 400,000 veterans in health care over the past year, a 30%...

Clarence Sasser, Vietnam Medic Awarded Medal of Honor for Treating Troops Under Fire, Dies at 76

After returning to the U.S. from Vietnam, Sasser received his Medal of Honor from President Richard Nixon in 1969, in a...

Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Family Child Care provider

Military Must Focus on Efforts to Keep Its Child Care Employees to Shorten Waitlists, Watchdog Says

In 2022, turnover within the DoD child care sector ranged from 34% at Marine Corps child care facilities to 50% turnover...

The new Fort Liberty sign is displayed outside the base

Fort Liberty Soldier Sentenced to Over 3 Years for Romance Scams, Bilked Over $350,000 from Victims

Specialist Sanda G. Frimpong, who was serving on active duty until his arrest in 2023, was ordered to pay back over $350,000...

U.S. Marine retirement ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps

Marines Leaving Service Must Now Notify Corps at Least 6 Months Before Departure

Previously, Marines could resign or retire with as little as four months of advanced notification. The update went into...

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

The 2019 edition of the Manual for Courts-Martial United States at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

4 Soldiers Charged in Alleged Sexual Assault in Barracks at Washington State Base

Four soldiers have been charged in an alleged sexual assault that took place in the barracks at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in...

U.S. Marines fast rope off a CH-53E Super Stallion onto the USS New Orleans

Fire Extinguished After 12-Hour Fight on USS New Orleans Off Okinawa

Two sailors received minor injuries in the response, U.S. 7th Fleet officials said.

A Look at Those Trump Has Targeted in Tactic of Revoking Security Clearances

The Trump administration's announcement this week that it would rescind the security clearances of 37 current and former...

Soldiers practice military skills on a training ground near Kharkiv, Ukraine

Major Russian Attack on Western Ukraine Hits an American Factory During US-Led Push for Peace

The aerial assault on a part of Ukraine that has largely avoided such focused attacks was one of Russia's biggest this year...

14 with Ties to Washington Deported to ‘Third Countries’ and Guantánamo Bay

As the Trump administration lines up ever more countries to accept deported immigrants, a report to be released Thursday...

The Harpers Ferry-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) departs Naval Base San Diego and sails through the harbor.

Jury Convicts Chinese-Born US Navy Sailor of Espionage, Spying for China

The jury convicted Jinchao "Patrick" Wei, 25, on six counts of conspiracy, espionage and charges related to unlawfully...

Latest Military Videos

FBI Searches Home of Ex-Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton

A person familiar with the matter says the FBI is searching the Maryland home of John Bolton, who served...

Smoke Rises over Gaza as Israel Prepares for Large-Scale Offensive on Gaza City

Plumes of smoke were seen rising over the Gaza Strip on Friday, as Israel prepared for a large scale...

Trump Visits National Guard troops in DC, Vows City Will Be 'Maxed out in Terms of Beauty'

President Donald Trump visited with law enforcement personnel and National Guard troops deployed in Washington as part of his...

Gaza City Is in Famine, Says Leading Authority on Food Crises

The world's leading authority on food crises said Friday the Gaza Strip's largest city is gripped by famine, and...

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

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...

Army News

President Trump speaks with National Guard soldiers in Washington D.C.

Guardsmen Patrolling DC Will Soon Be Armed, Pentagon Says

Guardsmen have mostly been patrolling tourist areas not known for high crime rates, such as the National Mall and a transit...

(Sgt. 1st Class Austin Berner/U.S. Army Reserve photo)

Why Is the Army Chopping Away at Its Chopper Fleet?

The cuts are part of a larger reorganization as the Army prepares for the changing landscape of warfare with one of the...

Navy News

A sailor stand at attention aboard the USS Fort Lauderdale

Amphibious Warships Join US Destroyers Nearing Venezuela amid Crackdown on Cartels

Two officials familiar with the deployment, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters that three Navy warships —...

Fire Extinguished After 12-Hour Fight on USS New Orleans Off Okinawa

Two sailors received minor injuries in the response, U.S. 7th Fleet officials said.

Air Force News

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency

Hegseth Fires General Whose Agency's Intel Assessment of Damage from Iran Strikes Angered Trump

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse will no longer serve as head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, according to the people, who...

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi

Air Force Top Enlisted Leader Says Service Oath Isn't Made to 'Any Individual' Amid General's Retirement

Flosi's message to the force seemingly sought to calm the rank and file as the Pentagon goes through yet another major...

Space Force News

New U.S. Space Force dress uniform at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo.

Space Force Finally Has its Own Rulebook on Dress, Appearance Guidelines for Guardians

Since being established as the smallest service branch in 2019, the Space Force has used the same guidance given to the Air...

Former Space Force Sergeant Fatally Shot Teen in 'Vigilante Violence,' Colorado Officials Say

Orest Schur received a 54-year prison sentence after a jury in June found him guilty of second-degree murder and attempted...

Marine Corps News

Marine Veteran Charged with Threatening to Shoot Schoolchildren Now Out of Jail

Once held on $1 million bond for livestreaming threats to shoot elementary school children, a military veteran is now out of...

US Naval Academy Gets First Marine Superintendent

Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1991.

Coast Guard News

Damage can be seen on the bow of a Liberian 751-foot commercial cargo vessel named W-Sapphire that had an explosion onboard near the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Coast Guard to Salvage 30-Ton Hatch from Ship Explosion in Baltimore

The hatch was located earlier this week after the Army Corps of Engineers deployed a sonar-equipped survey vessel at the...

A boat from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound is shown in Elliott Bay, Seattle.

Family Questions Coast Guard Response to Fatal Sinking

The U.S. and Canadian coast guards responded to a sinking boat last week just off Point Roberts, a U.S.-controlled tip of a...