Rebecca Kheel

Rebecca Kheel is a congressional reporter for Military.com. She previously worked as a defense reporter for The Hill, covering all things defense from the view at the Capitol, including negotiations over annual defense authorization and appropriations bills, fights about the foreign policy crisis of the day and more.

Prior to coming to D.C., she was a local reporter at the Orange County Register in California, writing about everything from disputes over new housing developments to the latest theme park ride openings.

She has a bachelor’s degree in newspaper journalism and history from Syracuse University.

Email: rebecca.kheel@military.com

Latest Articles

A U.S. Marine data network specialist at a computer.

Veteran High-Tech Job Training Program Could Be Renewed for 5 Years

The House on voted 409-9 to approve a bill that would extend the Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses...

Green Berets conduct combat training in the Republic of Korea.

Army Special Operations Could Be Cut 10% as Military Looks to Conventional Warfare

As the service pivots its focus toward China, Green Berets and other commando units could see cuts in favor of building up...

Lawmakers gather for a tabletop war game exercise.

More Joint Training and Better Base Protection: House Panel Recommends Ways to Prepare for War over Taiwan

The report comes after the panel conducted a war game last month that acted out a hypothetical Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews at House hearing on evacuation from Afghanistan.

After Marine's Testimony, Republicans Seek Answers from Pentagon on Bombing During Afghanistan Withdrawal

Top House lawmakers want the Pentagon to give more details on the lead-up to a suicide bombing outside Afghanistan's Kabul...

Airmen of the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing

Guardsmen and Reservists Who Retire Early Could Get Cheaper Health Care Under Senate Bill

National Guardsmen and reservists who retire before age 60 would be eligible for low-cost military health care plans under a...

Rep. Kay Granger and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Republicans Vow to Boost Veteran Spending Amid Debt Ceiling Fight

The GOP bill would give the VA about $153 billion in discretionary funding in 2024, up from $135 billion that the department...

Front of the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington.

How Veterans Benefits Could Be Delayed in June by a US Default

Billions of dollars of veterans benefits could be imperiled if the U.S. defaults on its debts, though the full extent of the...

Homeless Veterans Will Receive Less Help as Pandemic Aid Dries Up, Democrats and Veterans Groups Warn

Congressional Democrats are pushing to revive pandemic-related powers that allowed the Department of Veterans Affairs to...

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

Veterans who have had a head injury are at higher risk for suicide, but these deaths can be prevented, experts say.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at a SASC budget hearing.

Troop Paychecks Could Be Delayed if US Defaults, Austin Warns

Austin's comments come as a deadline to raise what's known as the debt ceiling rapidly approaches.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III provides testimony at a Senate Armed Services Committee budget hearing, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.

Future Officer Promotions Could Also Be Delayed by Senate Standoff, Austin Warns

Delaying Senate confirmation of generals and admirals awaiting promotions right now will ripple down into future rounds of...

Members of law enforcement assemble on a road in Dighton, Mass.

After Pentagon Leak, Democrats and Republicans Unite to Reform Classification System

The package of bills unveiled by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and other senators from both...

A U.S. Marine with Joint Task Force-Crisis Response assists evacuees at an evacuation control checkpoint (ECC) during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Fallout: Refugees Given Reprieve to Stay in US as Tensions Flare Over Congressional Investigation

Refugees who fled Afghanistan during the chaotic final days of America's longest war are getting a temporary reprieve from an...

An American flag flies in front of the Atlanta VA Medical Center.

Victims Asked to Come Forward After VA Doctor Charged with Sexually Assaulting Patients

A Department of Veterans Affairs doctor in Georgia has been indicted over allegations that he sexually assaulted at least...

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., listens during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington.

'We Can Think of Few Things as Irresponsible': 7 Former Defense Secretaries Blast Hold on Military Promotions

Seven former defense secretaries who served in administrations from both parties are warning that a Republican senator's hold...

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Most Popular Military News

Twenty dollar bills are counted in North Andover, Mass.

Bill Guaranteeing Cost-of-Living Increase for Veterans in 2024 Heads to President's Desk

The annual task in Congress ensures that VA compensation keeps pace with Social Security increases.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough.

VA Issues New Warning that Default Could Have 'Catastrophic' Effects for Veterans

VA Secretary Denis McDonough said Wednesday there is "no blueprint for what could happen."

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn.

Navy Fires Destroyer's Leadership as Ship Moves Homeport to Japan

Cmdr. Angela Gonzales, the commanding officer, and Cmdr. Jonathan Zang, the executive officer, were fired from the John Finn...

Class of 2026 during the Acceptance Day parade at West Point.

Academy Cadets with Kids Still Waiting as Pentagon Lags on Rule Change

Military students remain in limbo as final Pentagon guidance for a new policy allowing cadets at America's service academies...

Army Special Operations Could Be Cut 10% as Military Looks to Conventional Warfare

As the service pivots its focus toward China, Green Berets and other commando units could see cuts in favor of building up...

How Veterans Benefits Could Be Delayed in June by a US Default

Billions of dollars of veterans benefits could be imperiled if the U.S. defaults on its debts, though the full extent of the...

Latest Military Videos

Cocaine Labeled with Swastika Seized in Peru

Peruvian anti-drug police seized 127 pounds of packages of cocaine on Thursday bearing a picture of a Nazi flag...

NASA Launches Storm-Tracking Satellites

Rocket Lab on Friday launched another pair of storm-tracking satellites for NASA from Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. (May...

Hundreds Attend Funeral of Black WWII Veteran

Peter Brown died alone in London without any known family. But hundreds of people — mostly strangers — gathered...

China MOFA Comments on Vietnam, US-Taiwan

China on Friday reasserted its claim over the waters of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea...

Investigations and Features

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

The U.S. intelligence community deemed racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism -- with adherents such as white...

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

Veterans who have had a head injury are at higher risk for suicide, but these deaths can be prevented, experts say.

Army News

Spc. Austin Valley in his dress uniform.

A Soldier Attempted Suicide in Poland. Left to Roam at Fort Riley, He Killed Himself.

The unit's response to Valley's first attempt to kill himself raises questions over whether the Army's suicide prevention...

'He's Home': Missing 73 Years, Medal of Honor Recipient's Remains Return to Georgia

A soldier awarded the Medal of Honor after he went missing in battle during the Korean War is being buried on Memorial Day...

Navy News

U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Unit (PSU) 311 members and U.S. Navy Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 11 members complete joint agency exercises aboard a 32-foot transportable port security boat off San Clemente Island.

Navy Contractor Jet Was on Fire Before Deadly California Crash, Federal Report Says

The report didn’t mention a possible cause for the fire or the crash.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at the U.S. Naval Academy graduation.

Defense Secretary Tells Navy Graduates They Are Ready to Serve

The secretary said naval officers have a special understanding of the power of teamwork, and "we need that spirit for the...

Air Force News

Massachusetts National Guard Changes Linked to Leak Case

Top brass at the Massachusetts National Guard said the military outfit is holding off on making changes before findings are...

Redstone Arsenal moves its main gate farther from the interstate

Have Space Command HQ Requirements Changed? Investigations Underway

The secretary of the Air Force, authorized with making the final decision on the permanent home for Space Command...

Space Force News

Have Space Command HQ Requirements Changed? Investigations Underway

The secretary of the Air Force, authorized with making the final decision on the permanent home for Space Command...

Space Launch Delta 30 at the monthly Delta Dash at Vandenberg SVB.

Space Force Rolls Out Fitness Trackers to Guardians in Lieu of Traditional Testing

The Space Force announced it will conduct a two-year testing period on wearable fitness trackers as part of its newly...

Marine Corps News

Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers.

Veteran Who Led Oath Keepers Sentenced to 18 Years for Role in Jan. 6 Attack

Stewart Rhodes is the first person charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack to be sentenced for seditious conspiracy, and his...

A photo of then Second Lieutenant Lou Schott poses for a portrait in 1943. (TNS/ Jeffrey F. Bill)

102-Year-Old Maryland Veteran Awarded Silver Star for World War II Service in the Pacific

Nearly 78 years after his actions, Schott, 102, was awarded the Silver Star, the U.S. Armed Forces' third-highest military...

Coast Guard News

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas delivered the keynote address at the Coast Guard Academy

Sending Out Ensigns on Humanitarian Missions, Coast Guard Academy Graduates 243

The United States Coast Guard Academy graduated 243 students at its 142nd commencement, preparing to send many to far-off...

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Plane with 3 Passengers that Crashed off California Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a plane that crashed in the ocean near San Clemente Island on Wednesday...