Thomas Novelly

Thomas Novelly is a reporter for Military.com focusing on coverage of the Air Force and Space Force. He previously covered veterans, military bases and federal politics in South Carolina for The Post and Courier, where he was part of the reporting team for “Rising Waters,” a project that examined climate-driven flooding and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Prior to that, he was a breaking news reporter for the Courier Journal in Kentucky, where he received a Louisville Society of Professional Journalists award for Best Breaking News Story.

He lives in Washington D.C.

Email: Thomas.Novelly@military.com

Latest Articles

Graduation at the Air Force Academy, Colorado

The Air Force's Faltering Effort to Get More Diversity Among Officers May Be Out of Time

The diversity targets set in 2022 marked the first time in nearly a decade that the service had amended the benchmarks for...

Drone operator helps to retrieve a drone over Hart Island in New York

Pentagon Officials, Aviation Experts Say Many Alleged Drone Sightings Are Being Misidentified

The sightings in New Jersey and elsewhere, which so far remained unconfirmed, have triggered widespread concern and demands...

The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron ‘Thunderbirds’ perform at the California Capital Air Show in Mather, Calif.

Do Air Shows Really Help Military Readiness and Recruiting? Congress Plans to Find Out.

Lawmakers want the secretary of defense to brief Congress on how sending military aircraft to air shows affects recruiting...

(Photo by Airman 1st Class Shelby Kay-Fantozzi)

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Vandenberg Air Force Base is renamed Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Chinese Citizen Arrested After Allegedly Flying Drone, Taking Photos of Space Force Base

Federal investigators arrested a 39-year-old man this week after accusing him of flying a drone and taking pictures of...

A U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron flies during a training exercise over the plains of New Mexico.

Air Force Osprey Parts Failure Triggers Another Military-Wide Flight Pause for Troubled Aircraft

The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps have all paused Osprey operations following another parts failure, this time with the...

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...

Airmen from the 138th Space Control Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Air National Guard, load equipment onto a C-17 Globemaster courtesy 183rd Airlift Squadron, Mississippi Air National Guard, prior to departing for temporary duty in Washington, D.C.

Air National Guard Units Set to Transfer to Space Force Under Defense Bill Despite States' Opposition

Nearly 600 Air National Guardsmen who focus on space missions would be transferred to the Space Force against the wishes of...

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...

The official U.S. Space Forces-Japan flag is unveiled during the activation and assumption of command ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan

Space Force's New Component in Japan to Bolster Ally Defenses Amid Rising Threats

Space Force officials announced the creation of a new service component in Japan, as America's ally expands its own space...

Col. Christopher Meeker, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander, delivers closing remarks

Former Air Force Commander at Wright-Patterson Charged with Adultery, Faces Court-Martial

A former commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, will face a court-martial for adultery and...

U.S. Air Force airmen step onto the flightline to catch a flight at Beale Air Force Base, California.

Air Force's New Deployment Model Sparks Criticism, Staffing Concerns at Bases

Some Air Force officials are concerned by the service's innovative deployment model, a new government watchdog report...

Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher, 24, died during a training mission aboard a CV-22 Osprey when it crashed on Nov. 29, 2023.

Family of Airman Killed in Japan Osprey Crash Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Scrutiny of the military's Osprey aircraft is ramping up as family members of an Air Force special operations airman who was...

160 Years Later, Descendants of Army's Sand Creek Massacre Still Wait for Justice

Friday, Nov. 29, marks 160 years since the Sand Creek bloodshed, and the pain of the tragedy still haunts descendants of...

A CV-22B Osprey from the 352nd Special Operations Wing conducts a flyover at a Veterans Day ceremony at Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Cambridge, England.

Steel Company Tied to Deadly Air Force Osprey Crash Faced Defective Parts Lawsuit in 2001

Military officials have refused to say whether they're still working with a company responsible for making the gear that...

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Most Popular Military News

U.S. Navy SEAL candidates participate in BUD/S training.

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Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman decided to stop the boards of inquiry for Capt. Brad Geary, the commander of the Navy SEAL training...

SunTrust Bank branch in Sebring, Fla., where five people were shot and killed in 2019

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Coast Guard Cadets march in formation during sea trials at the Academy

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Latest Military Videos

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In a far-ranging interview news conference, President-elect Donald Trump said the U.S. government "knows what is happening" with the...

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Investigations and Features

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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

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

Army News

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston at AER function

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(Photo courtesy of Chris and Carla Mancilla)

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Navy News

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Tom Cruise poses with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award

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Cruise was presented with the Distinguished Public Service Award, which rewards civilians for acts of heroism or support to...

Air Force News

Lessons from the Air Force Kitchen Police: Volunteer for Everything. Even Pots and Pans

When Ed Meagher reported to Air Force basic training on June 15, 1966, he was a 19-year-old college dropout. Despite two...

The Air Force's Faltering Effort to Get More Diversity Among Officers May Be Out of Time

The diversity targets set in 2022 marked the first time in nearly a decade that the service had amended the benchmarks for...

Space Force News

The U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Programs, launched a conventional hypersonic missile from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

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Cape Canaveral Space Force Station had a different kind of launch on its plate Thursday when the Army and Navy teamed up to...

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Marine Corps News

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U.S. Marine Corps Col. Henry Dolberry Jr. receives a gift after a change of command ceremony on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan.

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Coast Guard News

The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s 35-foot, long-range interceptor small boat prepares to conduct a joint search-and-rescue exercise in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, with a Japan Coast Guard AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter aircrew.

US Coast Guard to Participate in First-Ever Drill in Tokyo Bay

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