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 Colorado.

Email: Thomas.Novelly@military.com

Latest Articles

Attorney: Manslaughter Charge Will Be Filed Against Florida Deputy for Fatal Shooting of Airman Roger Fortson

A Florida sheriff's deputy who shot and killed Air Force special operations Senior Airman Roger Fortson in his apartment in...

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin

Air Force Families Must Be Prepared for Catastrophic Events Amid Shift to Potential Pacific Conflict, Service Chief Says

Amid the Air Force's latest shift to reorganize the force for great power competition, a newly released memo offers an inward...

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Tristen Wright, then a Senior Airman

Death of Special Operations Command Airman in 'Undisclosed Location' Under Investigation

Staff Sgt. Tristen Wright, 28, of Palm Bay, Florida, died Aug. 15 in a "noncombat-related incident at an undisclosed location...

Airman Roger Fortson's casket is carried

Family of Airman Fatally Shot by Florida Deputy Decry Delay in Criminal Charges

Senior Airman Roger Fortson, who was stationed at Hurlburt Field, was shot multiple times by Okaloosa County Sheriff's Deputy...

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jabreanna Fontenot, 18th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron medical technician, draws a vaccine into a syringe at Kadena Air Base, Japan,

Okinawa Air Force Clinic Says It Gave 'Potentially Ineffective' Childhood Vaccines as First Day of School Looms

The vaccines -- part of the recommended schedule of vaccinations for children -- were administered by the Kadena Immunization...

U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training trainees carry weapons

During Basic Training, Airmen and Guardians Now Required to Carry Practice M4 Rifles at Most Times

Airmen and Guardians will receive the nonfunctioning M4 rifle when they arrive at basic military training and will carry and...

Ground water remediation system being used to remediate PFAs

Air Force Bucks EPA Order to Clean Up 'Forever Chemicals' in Arizona, Citing Supreme Court Ruling

Air Force lawyers are fighting an emergency order from the Environmental Protection Agency requiring the service to clean...

Space Force Guardian's Historic Launch to ISS Delayed Due to Issues with Stranded Astronauts

Col. Nick Hague was originally set to pilot NASA's Crew-9 six-month mission to the ISS aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft on...

High-water rescue following flooding from Hurricane Debby

National Guard Units Activated in Southeast as Tropical Storm Debby Floods Towns, Claims Lives

Thousands of National Guardsmen throughout the Southeastern coast from Florida to North Carolina have been activated as now...

CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor prepares to land at Yokota Air Base

Pilots, Family Members Say Crew Is Being Unfairly Blamed for November's Deadly Air Force Osprey Crash

Pilots, military aviation experts and family members are voicing concerns about a recently released investigation report into...

Maintenance issues at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

Merchant Marine Academy Slow to Address 'Crumbling Facades, Leaking Pipes and Water Damage' on Campus, GAO Finds

The Government Accountability Office report took aim at the progress the service academy in Kings Point, New York has made in...

Ribbon cutting ceremony on Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi

Air Force's New Courses Hope to Close 'Developmental Gap' Before Airmen Become NCOs

Following nine months of testing, the Air Force's new "Foundations" classes are "fully operational," the service said.

Three B-1B Lancer bomber aircraft assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, sit on the flight line during Red Flag 21-1 at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Commander at Ellsworth Air Force Base Fired Following Scathing Accident Report into B-1B Lancer Crash

The commander of the 28th Operations Group at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota has been fired from his job, after a...

A CV-22B Osprey from the 21st Special Operations Squadron flies low over the trees as it prepares to land during exercise Resolute Dragon 21 at the Ojojihara Training Area, Japan.

Attorney Says Air Force's Osprey Accident Report 'Adds to the Deep Pain' of Gold Star Families by Blaming Crew

An attorney representing two families who lost loved ones last November in an Air Force CV-22 Osprey crash due to a...

A U.S. Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing CV-22 Osprey from Hurlburt Field, Fla., performs an airpower demonstration as part of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 at Wittman Regional Airport, Wis.

Gearbox, Crew Blamed for Deadly Japan Osprey Crash in Results of Air Force Investigation

A copy of the investigation obtained by Military.com says investigators found that components inside the gearbox began...

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Most Popular Military News

Sgt. Jacqueline Speights, from 175th Surgical Detachment, 531st Hospital Center, prepares a sample for COVID-19 testing while Spc. Samuel Mawanda, from 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), records data at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital’s COVID-19 sample processing section within the hospital’s Department of Pathology, Jan. 24, 2022. (Maria Christina Yager/Army)

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...

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...

A stack of bills looks blurry, as though it's in the process of being flipped through, with one president's face in focus.

Basic Needs Allowance Overview

The Basic Needs Allowance can potentially add hundreds of dollars to the paycheck of a military member with a family whose...

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.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance

2 Navy Destroyers Attacked by Barrage of Houthi Drones, Missiles Off Yemen Coast

The attack on the ships was the latest in months of violence in the region by the Yemen rebels, who are backed by Iran and...

The Pentagon’s F-35 Office Has No Idea What an F-35 Looks Like

Between missed readiness goals and rising costs, the Defense Department’s F-35 Joint Program Office likely has other stuff to...

Latest Military Videos

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)...

Military Chief Tells Troops Israel Striking in Syria to Prevent Weapon Transfers to Hezbollah

Israeli military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told troops during a visit to southern Lebanon that Israel is striking...

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

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...

Court-Martialed Military Veteran Sentenced to over 4 Years in Prison for Capitol Riot Attack

A former U.S. Army soldier who was court-martialed for fatally shooting a handcuffed civilian in Iraq two decades ago has...

Navy News

There Will Be Only One Army-Navy Game This Year as Usual, Thanks to Tulane

The now-No. 20 Green Wave defeated the Midshipmen in a 35-0 shutout, dashing Navy’s hopes for an AAC Championship Game berth.

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...

Air Force News

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...

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.

Space Force News

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

U.S. Marines dismount an amphibious combat vehicle.

Marine Corps Codifies Amphibious Combat Vehicle Standards After Rocky Start, New Deployments

The new standards outline the use of safety boats to accompany the Amphibious Combat Vehicle during waterborne operations.

Daniel Penny arrives at the court in New York after break

Marine Veteran Misused a Combat Technique in Fatal Chokehold of NYC Subway Rider, Trainer Testifies

Attorneys for Daniel Penny argue their client had sought to restrain Neely by placing him in a headlock, but that he did not...

Coast Guard News

Tech. Sgt. Thesia Westmoreland, non-commissioned officer in charge of pharmacy operations

Pentagon Works to Restore Benefits After Data Transfer Boots Coast Guard, NOAA and Other Beneficiaries from Tricare

Problems related to transfer of personnel records resulted in beneficiaries temporarily losing coverage.

A crew aboard a 47-foot motor lifeboat, from Station Bodega Bay await the next drill during a multi-agency training exercise in California.

Coast Guard Suspends Search for 4 Missing off California Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended -- "pending the development of further information" -- Sunday's massive search effort for...

Thomas Novelly

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