News Investigations & Features

Toxic mold making military families sick. Sexual assault and harrassment that turns service into a nightmare. The legacy of burn pits and the fight for medical care for veterans.

These are just some of the stories that our newsroom has doggedly covered, serving as a watchdog for the military community while telling the stories of current and retired service members and their families. That includes deep, months-long investigations revealing wrongdoing, and carefully crafted features that help our community share a bit of who they are.

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USS Boxer body illustration

Poisoned Water: How a Navy Ship Dumped Fuel and Sickened Its Own Crew

(Illustration by Elize McKelvey)

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

Traumatic brain injury

They Said the Rise in Military Suicide Is a Mystery. Traumatic Brain Injury May Be an Answer.

A photo illustration featuring Andy Huynh and Alex Drueke.

How 2 American Veterans Ended Up in Ukraine, Prisoners of Russian-Armed Militants

Illustration by Elize McKelvey

Trading on Patriotism: How Extremist Groups Target and Radicalize Veterans

Latest Investigations and Features

Members of the Caisson Platoon of the 3rd U.S. Infantry "The Old Guard."

Arlington Horses Are Getting Improvements After Deaths. But Other Army Animals Also Face Poor Conditions, Review Found.

The Army said it has a long-term plan to rehabilitate the horse platoon tasked with funeral services for fallen service...

Advisors with 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade stand in formation.

Inside One of the Army's Most Chaotic Brigades

The Army's 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade is facing potentially systemic problems with its leadership, a Military.com...

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.

Professional Apprenticeship Career Track team visit at Naval Station Mayport.

Undesignated 'Dogs of the Navy' Who Scrape Rust and Paint Ships Are Getting Help Finding New Jobs

Among the many peculiarities that come with naval service, the Navy's practice of naming undesignated sailors stands out for...

Illustration of brain by Elize McKelvey.

From Hormones to Horses: How Veterans Are Finally Getting Help for Brain Injuries

Premature deaths are not inevitable, and treatment is getting better for service members and veterans with the signature...

Student hands an apple to the teacher.

This Vets Program Was Supposed to Help Fix the Teacher Shortage in Florida. It's Only Added 7.

Educators say the teacher shortage is driven, in part, by low salaries: Florida is ranked 48th in the country for...

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Military Headlines

This satellite image shows apparent recent construction of tents at a former military base outside the Belarusian town of Osipovichi.

Satellite Photos, Reports Suggest Belarus Is Building an Army Camp for Wagner Fighters

Israeli authorities inspect the remains of what the military said is a Syrian anti-aircraft rocket.

Israel's Air Force Attacks Syria and Syrian Air Defense Missile Explodes Over Northern Israel

President Bill Clinton watches as an American Bald Eagle is released into the wild.

For Presidents, July Fourth Is a Day to Chill or Strut or Get an Earful of Red, White and Boo

Ukrainian State Emergency Service firefighters put out a house fire.

3 Killed, 17 Wounded in Ukraine From Russian Attacks, as Spain Highlights European Support for Kyiv

Edward Cassano speaks during a news conference on the Titan submersible.

Recovering the Titan 12,500 Feet Underwater Was Dangerous, Complex, Emotional

Mechanics from the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the Tuskegee Airmen, work on the engine of a P-51 Mustang in February 1944. (U.S. Air Force)

Tuskegee Airman Raymond Cassagnol Dies at 102

a building at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.

Coast Guard Apologizes for Mishandling of Sexual Assaults at Academy

U.S. Marine recites the oath of enlistment

America Celebrates 50 Years of Volunteer Force, But Faces Tough Recruiting Environment

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley

The US Is Considering Providing Cluster Munitions to Ukraine, Says America's Top Military Officer

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Opinion

Father and daughter at Grand Canyon

You Cannot Go Back, and It Never Really Gets Better. Sometimes the Truth Is Cruel.

Cheyenne Smith’s father died in December 2013 during a tour in Afghanistan when she was 14 years old.

Future soldiers recite the oath of enlistment before an NFL game in Phoenix.

What an All-Volunteer Force Looks Like Today 50 Years After America Ditched the Draft

Despite what Americans experienced in the 20th century, the United States does not have a long tradition of conscription.

Graphic illustration depicts the struggles of those who face PTSD

PTSD Doesn't Mean You're Weak, or a Monster

"Having PTSD means someone suffered trauma and is experiencing a natural reaction to it. There shouldn't be any stigma...

Military couple working through their problems.

Why Divorce Is Particularly Hard on Military Families

According to reports based on U.S. Census Bureau data, those who have served in the military have the highest divorce rate of...

A military recruitment center stands in Brooklyn

The Military Recruiting Crisis Is Getting Worse

At a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing, leaders from the Army, Navy, and Air Force all dutifully reported that...

Albert Hill, a U.S. Marine Corp veteran, listens to U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal

PACT Act Keeps Faith with Health Needs of America's Veterans

The law came late for veterans exposed to things like Agent Orange and toxic smoke from burn pits, from the Vietnam era all...

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