Oriana Pawlyk

Oriana Pawlyk is Military.com’s air warfare reporter covering everything from the latest personnel trends, aircraft, investigations, defense technology, to Air Force operations all over the world. Pawlyk is also an active member of the Pentagon Press Association.

She previously covered air campaign operations in the Middle East and Europe, plus uniforms, cyber, Guard and Reserve duties, physical training and technology for Air Force Times. Pawlyk edited the Military Times Early Bird Brief newsletter in 2015, compiling the top national security stories driving the day. Pawlyk attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she received a bachelor’s in Journalism and English Literature.

Email: oriana.pawlyk@monster.com

Latest Articles

F-16 Thunderbirds Crash Resulted from Wet Runway, Wind

A wet runway and wind gusts made an Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 Fighting Falcon slide and flip after landing during a routine...

Air Force Launches Aviation Inquiry Amid Reports of Increased Mishaps

The Air Force is investigating recent lower-category aviation accidents to determine whether there is a larger trend looming.

Navy Declassifies its Notorious 'UFO Sighting' Videos

The U.S. Navy has acknowledged three incidents reported by F/A-18 Hornet fighter pilots of "unidentified aerial phenomena."

The Pentagon Has 6 Months to Disclose What It Knows About UFOs

Lawmakers are demanding answers from U.S. intelligence agencies and the DoD on the potential existence of UFOs.

Shanahan Launches New Investigation into Deadly 2017 Niger Ambush

The Oct. 4, 2017, incident left four U.S. soldiers dead.

'Extraordinary Sacrifice:' Trump Awards Medal of Honor to Fallen Airman

President Trump posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Tech Sgt. John Chapman at a ceremony at the White House Wednesday.

Air Guard Officer in Congress Calls on Facebook to Crack Down on Romance Scams

An congressman in the Air National Guard is pressing Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg to do more to stop "romance scams."

Pentagon IG Investigating Acting SecDef Over Possible Ethics Violations

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed the request alleging Shanahan violated rules by promoting Boeing.

Photos Show Destruction at US Embassy in Baghdad After Attacks

Newly released photos from a Dec. 31 assault on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq show extensive damage to the compound.

Pentagon IDs 2 Airmen Killed in Afghanistan Crash

The Defense Department has identified two airmen killed in an E-11 aircraft crash in Afghanistan on Monday.

More Than a Decade Later, the Air Force Finally Picks a Huey Replacement

The U.S. Air Force has picked Boeing to build the replacement for its UH-1N Huey at a cost of approximately $2.38 billion.

Second Lt. Kenneth Soyars, 14th Student Squadron student pilot, takes off during a virtual reality flight simulation Jan. 10, 2018, at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. Two subjects flew at a time but no other subjects were allowed to watch or learn from other individuals’ sorties. The Adaptive Flight Training Study pushed subjects to learn through the VR technology. (Keith Holcomb/U.S. Air Force)

Here's How the Air Force Plans to Recruit Teenage Gamers

Forget the Xbox. The U.S. Air Force wants kids to play a game to help it locate future airmen.

Gen. Mike Holmes, commander of Air Combat Command, watches Airmen from the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron load inert weapons onto an F-15E Strike Eagle during training, Feb. 26, 2019, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Kenneth Boyton)

Air Force Commander, Pilot Son to Dogfight in Livestreamed Flight Game

Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mike Holmes will battle his son, 1st Lt. Wade Holmes, an F-16 pilot, in the game Ace Combat 7.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Holmes, the commander of Air Combat Command, and 1st Lt. Wade Holmes, his son, battle each other in a combat flight action video game June 29, 2019, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. (U.S. Air Force/Emerald Ralston)

Air Force 1st Lieutenant Beats 4-Star Dad in Livestreamed Dogfight Game

Score a win for the Viper pilot in the battle over which Air Force fourth-generation aircraft brings the heat.

Hill Air Force Base F-35As fly over the Utah Test and Training Range, March 30, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo/R. Nial Bradshaw)

F-35 Dogfight Accidentally Resulted in a Sky Penis, Officials Say

Six F-35 Joint Strike Fighters simulating aggressor air training accidentally created contrails that resembled a penis.

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

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll speaks to soldiers

Army Secretary Fires Entire Corps of Civilian Advisers from Communities Across US

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has ousted his entire slate of civilian advisers in a sweeping move aimed at clearing space for...

Reserve Officers’ Training Corps commissioning ceremony

Army ROTC Programs at Dozens of Campuses Are Being Shut Down or Reorganized

The Army is undertaking a major shake-up of its Reserve Officers' Training Corps footprint, shutting down or reorganizing...

Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade use hot towels to warm their faces during a shaving clinic

New Army Shaving Policy Will Allow Soldiers with Skin Condition that Affects Mostly Black Men to Be Kicked Out

The Army is preparing to roll out a new policy that could lead to soldiers diagnosed with a chronic skin condition that...

Inside Netflix’s Plan to Turn an Old NJ Army Base into a Hollywood-Style Production Powerhouse

After years of planning, Netflix recently broke ground on its massive production studio planned for a 289-acre former Army...

California Army National Guard Fire Crew at Palisades, Calif.

Guardsmen Pulled off LA Mission as State Warns Troops Are 'Stretched Thin' Amid Wildfire Season

U.S. Northern Command said in a statement that approximately 150 members of the California National Guard were released from...

United States Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll

Army Secretary Visits Rock Island Arsenal as Job Cuts Loom

The Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll joined officials at the Rock Island Arsenal as the federal government considers...

Latest Military Videos

Black Smoke Rises over Mogadishu After Deadly Crash of African Union Military Helicopter

At least three people were killed on Wednesday when a military helicopter serving the African Union peacekeeping mission in...

Iran President Orders Suspension of Cooperation with UN Nuclear Agency: AP Explains

Iran’s president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after American...

Israeli Military Releases Video Said to Show Troops in Khan Younis Area in Gaza

The Israeli military on Wednesday released video it said showed troops operating in the Khan Younis area in the...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Meets with the Indo-Pacific Quad

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting with his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia as the Trump administration...

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

Army National Guard soldiers conduct foot patrols along the southern border

Pentagon Again Expanding Military Border Zones, This Time in Arizona

The newest military zone in Arizona -- the fourth border zone created by the Trump administration -- will encompass 140 miles...

Soldiers fight in tandem with various robotics

Army Creating New Artificial Intelligence-Focused Occupational Specialty and Officer Field

Service planners are moving to establish a new enlisted military occupational specialty focused on artificial intelligence...

Navy News

Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH) roving security and fire watch team members patrol the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility

Navy Sued for $1.2 Billion by Hawaii Water Board over Red Hill Contamination

BWS says it’s suing the Navy “for negligence, nuisance, and trespass resulting in damages where the government of the United...

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media

Justice Department Says 2 Chinese Nationals Charged with Spying Inside the US for Beijing

The case, filed in federal court in San Francisco, is the latest Justice Department prosecution to target what officials say...

Air Force News

Football Dreams Led to 'Fat Boy Flight' and an Over-Forty-Year Air Force Career

In 1971, as a high school senior and captain of the football team, I assumed a college athletic scholarship was in my future...

Oath of Enlistment at Joint Base Andrews

Air Force and Space Force Hit Recruiting Goals 3 Months Early, Following Other Service Branches

The Air Force and Space Force announced they had hit their recruiting targets shortly after the Navy and the Army had reached...

Space Force News

Air Force and Space Force Hit Recruiting Goals 3 Months Early, Following Other Service Branches

The Air Force and Space Force announced they had hit their recruiting targets shortly after the Navy and the Army had reached...

Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna at a screening of "Elio"

Space Force May Have its Biggest Media Moment Yet with Disney-Pixar's 'Elio'

The Army has "Saving Private Ryan," the Navy has "Top Gun," the Marine Corps has "Full Metal Jacket" and, now, an animated...

Marine Corps News

Rioters storm the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021

Military Veteran Gets a Life Sentence for Plotting an FBI Attack After His Jan. 6 Arrest

Edward Kelley received a pardon from President Trump for his Jan. 6 convictions, but a judge agreed with prosecutors that...

People line up outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in Los Angeles

LA Detention Center Guarded by Marines Shows Profound Impact of ICE Raids on Families

For immigrants without legal status who are detained in this part of Southern California, their first stop is the Immigration...

Coast Guard News

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa returns to its homeport

Coast Guard Temporarily Relieves Commanding Officer of Cutter Tampa

Cmdr. Walter Krolman, who has led the medium endurance cutter Tampa for two years, was relieved for "loss of confidence,"...

Hawaii Coast Guard Crew Wraps Up Enforcement Mission in Cook Islands

The Lane, a 270-foot Medium Class Endurance Cutter arrived in Hawaii in late 2023 to serve as the U.S. Coast Guard’s first...