Richard Sisk

Richard Sisk has more than 45 years of journalism experience in reporting and editing in the U.S. and abroad for United Press International, the N.Y. Daily News and now for Military.com. He has covered police beats, the courts, transportation and politics in New York City and Washington, D.C., and had numerous assignments in the Mideast, Europe and Latin America. He has covered six presidential campaigns and since 2016 has been Military.com’s Pentagon reporter. Sisk is a Vietnam veteran who served with the 2nd Battalion, Fourth Marines, in 1967-68.

Latest Articles

Miami-class cutter USCGC Tampa photographed in harbor, prior to the First World War. All 131 persons on board Tampa were lost when the vessel was sunk by a German torpedo. (U.S. Navy)

Purple Hearts Finally Awarded to Coast Guard Crew Killed in World War I

The cutter Tampa was sunk by a U-boat torpedo in 1918, killing all 131 aboard.

The front of the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

VA Ready to Roll Out Mission Act Program on June 6 But Expect Glitches: Officials

Officials say the benefits of a system giving veterans more say in their own health care outweigh any drawbacks.

Only 55% of Americans Know Why the Nation Marks Memorial Day, Survey Finds

Little more than half of Americans know the true meaning of Memorial Day, according to a survey.

Ray Weaver, of Lancaster, Pa., supports Rolling Thunder 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua L. DeMotts)

Thunder's End: Rolling Thunder to Mark Final Memorial Day Event This Weekend

This year's annual Rolling Thunder veterans tribute will be the last.

The USS Abraham Lincoln and the Assault Ship USS Kearsarge sail alongside as the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group conduct operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur)

Lincoln, Kearsarge Carry Out Joint Ops in Show of Force to Iran

The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and Marines performed extensive training ops in the Arabian Sea this weekend.

The military is dealing with a child care backlog, which Congress and senior leaders worry could affect the readiness of military parents. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)

Lawmakers Blast Military Personnel Chiefs over Shortage of On-Base Child Care

The wait lists for on-base child care can be six months or more for military families.

British Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve Deputy Commander is escorted through the streets of Mosul to observe the destruction caused by ISIS, Oct. 9, 2018. (U.S. Army photo)

US Allies Look to Stay Out of Possible War with Iran

The U.S. would likely go it alone without allied support in a conflict with Iran.

Former Sen. Bob Dole shakes hands with Lt. Col. Michael Lind with the Army’s G-1 office during Dole’s honorary promotion ceremony at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., May 16, 2019. Dole, who was medically discharged as a captain after being severely wounded in WWII, was promoted to colonel. (U.S. Army photo)

It's Official: Former Senator, WWII Vet Bob Dole Is Now An Army Colonel

The Army has officially made 95-year-old former Sen. Bob Dole a colonel.

3 Members of the Military Reflect on Whether They Want to Run for Office

A New Politics program seeks to encourage veterans to run for office.

Staff at the Chicago VA Medical Center pose with posters as part of an anti-sexual harassment campaign at the center. (Chicago VA via Facebook)

Lawmakers to VA: End Harassment of Female Vets at Medical Centers

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has called on the VA to end sex harassment of women veterans at the department.

British Army Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, deputy commander for Strategy and Information Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), speaks before a gathering of Coalition forces at the Armistice Ceremony at Union III, Baghdad on Nov. 11, 2018. (Phillip McTaggart/U.S. Army)

CENTCOM Shoots Down General's Claim of 'No Increased Threat' from Iran

U.S. Central Command has rejected a commander's assertion that Iran posed "no increased threat" to U.S. troops.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in order to defend American forces and interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dan Snow)

Key Commander in ISIS Fight Sees No Increased Threat from Iran-Backed Troops

Despite recent claims of possible action by Iran, a top Operation Inherent Resolve official sees no change in the situation.

A T-45C Goshawk, assigned to Training Air Wing (TRAWING) 1, prepares to land on the flight deck aboard USS Harry S. Truman, Sept. 16, 2017. (U.S. Navy photo/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Flynn)

Pilots Suffer Minor Injuries After Ejecting from Navy Trainer Jet in Texas

A Navy jet training aircraft crashed at a Texas airfield on Friday.

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle climbs extreme terrain at the U.S. Marine Corps Transportation Demonstration Support Area aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., March 1, 2018. (U.S. Army photo)

Major Problems Persist With JLTV, Zumwalt Destroyer, GAO Finds

The Government Accountability Office has found cost overruns and delays in the Pentagon's purchase of major weapons systems.

Sailors assigned to Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece, take part in the “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes” one-mile walk April 23, 2019, during Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month onboard the installation. (U.S. Navy photo by Joel Diller)

Navy Victims of Stalking, Revenge Porn Now Eligible for Expedited Unit Transfer

The Navy has expanded its policy of expedited transfers to protect victims of sexual assault.

Military News

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Most Popular Military News

The U.S. Marine Corps Slient Drill Platoon Performs in front of the Historic World War II Memorial. (U.S. Marne Corps/ Staff Sgt. Oscar L Olive IV)

3 Silent Drill Platoon Marines Kicked Out, 2 Others Lose a Rank for Hazing

Members of the Silent Drill Platoon were punished after someone said they saw them use a training rifle to strike someone.

Courtland Savage from early in his training. (Courtesy Courtland Savage)

Navy to Change Pilot Call Sign Protocol After Minority Aviators Report Bias

The head of naval aviation has directed the creation of a new process for approving and reviewing pilots' call signs.

Thunder's End: Rolling Thunder to Mark Final Memorial Day Event This Weekend

This year's annual Rolling Thunder veterans tribute will be the last.

From Left: Dominick Burns, Mauricio Chaparro, Anthony Cooney, Kenneth Johnson and Kyle Tuschmann. BEXAR COUNTY (TEXAS) SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Five Sailors at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Charged with Sexual Assault

Five sailors were arrested at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on charges that the men sexually assaulted a woman last year.

Staff Sgt. Roger L. Whaley speaks with Phillip McDonald about the possibility of becoming a journalist or X-ray technician for the Army at the U.S. Army Recruiting Station in Radcliff, Ky. (U.S. Army/Sgt. Carl N. Hudson)

Army Beginning to See Payoff from New Recruiting Strategy

Recruiting is up 27 percent year-over-year in Minneapolis, 19 percent in New York City and 17 percent in Baltimore.

Latest Military Videos

A Message from Gen. Robert B. Neller

“If we're waiting to talk to a Marine when there's a problem, it's too late.” - Gen. Robert B..

Joint Air-to-Ground Missile Destroys Moving Target in Slow Motion

Incredible slow motion footage of a JAGM taking out a moving target.

Paratroopers Fire M2 .50 cal. Machine Gun

Have you ever fired an M2 .50 cal. machine gun?

Group of Cars Get Blown Up at Army Proving Ground

A group of perfectly good vehicles are destroyed compliments of the US Army.

Massive Explosion with Visible Shockwave at Army Proving Ground

One HUGE detonation during Iron Warrior at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground.

Army News

The Army's new prototype of the Army's Stryker vehicle armed with a 30mm cannon. Photo: Scout Warrior

Army Taps Five Firms to Study How to Mount 30mm Cannons on Strykers

The U.S. Army recently selected five defense firms to participate in a design study for mounting a 30mm cannon on a Stryker.

A tactical psychological operations team from the 9th Military Information Support Battalion broadcasts an emergency message during civil support training at Camp Butner, N.C., March 19, 2016. (Photo: Spc. Jeremie Lee)

Army to Promote Hundreds of PSYOP Soldiers at Fort Bragg

The 1st Special Forces Command will promote 300 psychological operations sergeants at a record-breaking promotion ceremony

Pfc. Katherine Beatty gives helpful hints to her teammate holding four excess gunpowder bags that weren’t needed for the three-increment charge during live-fire training on the M119A3 howitzer, Fort Sill, Okla., March 1, 2016. Beatty is the Army’s first 13B cannon crewmember to graduate from advanced individual training, taught in 1st Battalion, 78th Field Artillery. (U.S. Army photo/Cindy McIntyre)

Army Will Soon Open More Combat Jobs to Women, General Says

Over the last three years, more than 1,000 female soldiers have moved into combat-arms jobs.

Navy News

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) participates in a group sail during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise off the coast of Hawaii, July 26, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo/Arthurgwain L. Marquez)

Navy: Sailor Contacted Russians, Pleads Guilty to Espionage

According to Navy court documents, Kellogg, 26, was in contact with Sevmash, Russia's largest shipbuilding enterprise.

Amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) steams in close formation as one of 40 ships and submarines representing 13 international partner nations during Rim of the Pacific 2016. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ace Rheaume)

Senate Committee's Defense Spending Plan Includes More Money for Amphibs

The Senate Armed Services Committee's budget plan would restore some funding for Navy warships that Marines say they need .

In this Nov. 21, 2013 file photo reviewed by the U.S. military, dawn arrives at the now closed Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Lawmakers Again Bid for Gitmo Detainees to Receive Emergency Care in US

Lawmakers are once again pushing to authorize the transfer of prisoners to the U.S. for emergency medical care.

Air Force News

The sun sets behind a C-17 Globemaster III as Soldiers wait in line to board the aircraft at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. (U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Erik Gudmundson)

More US Troops Are Deploying to the Middle East to Counter Iran

Shanahan announced the move Friday to "safeguard U.S. forces given the ongoing threat posed by Iranian forces."

Firefighters from the 167th Airlift Wing extinguish an engine fire on the mobile aircraft fire simulator provided by West Virginia University State Fire Academy during annual Federal Aviation Administration Part 139 Live Fire Training at Martinsburg, W.Va., Oct. 13-14, 2018. (U.S. Air National Guard photo/Timothy Sencindiver)

Air Force Agrees to Reimburse West Virginia City for Chemical Cleanup

The Air Force has agreed to reimburse $4.9 million to the city of Martinsburg, West Virginia.

This photo taken from video provided by KABC-TV shows the parachute left by the pilot who ejected before his F-16 fighter jet crashed into a warehouse just outside March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif., Thursday afternoon, May 16, 2019. (KABC-TV via AP)

Dashcam Video Shows the Moment Pilot Ejects from Plummeting F-16

Dashcam footage from a freeway commuter shows the moment a pilot ejected from an F-16 military jet last week.

Marine Corps News

Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, who was arrested in Moscow at the end of last year, waits for a hearing in a court in Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Russian Court Extends Arrest for Marine Veteran Accused of Spying

A Russian court on Friday extended the arrest for Paul Whelan, who complained in court about abuse in custody.

The Marine Corps insignia is visible behind Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller as he takes questions from reporters at the unveiling of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaign engravings on the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima), Nov. 21, 2017, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Top Marine Makes Plea to End Suicide, Says 'Zero Shame' in Admitting Problem

Active-duty suicide rates in the Navy and Marine Corps reached a 10-year high last year.

Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) Det. Fort Gordon sailors, along with other service members onboard Fort Gordon, Georgia, pay tribute and honor the sailors and Marines who have paid the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our country in the Middle East since 9/11, May 22, 2019. (U.S. Navy photo)

10-Day Tribute Run at Fort Gordon Honoring Fallen Marines, Sailors Concludes

During the closing ceremony, 1,500 dog tags that service members ran with hung on a cross.

Coast Guard News

Purple Hearts Finally Awarded to Coast Guard Crew Killed in World War I

The cutter Tampa was sunk by a U-boat torpedo in 1918, killing all 131 aboard.

Sailors and Marines man the rails on the flight deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), as they approach New York City for Fleet Week New York, May 22, 2019. (U.S. Navy photo/Ryan Seelbach)

Fleet Week Brings Navy, Marines and Coast Guard to New York

Nearly 3,000 members of the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard are expected in the city as part of the week-long affair.

Bolton: Coast Guard to Help Reassert US Leadership in Arctic

Bolton said the Coast Guard also will play an important role as the administration pressures Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.