James LaPorta
James LaPorta is a national security reporter for The Messenger, focusing on coverage of the military. He previously worked as an investigative reporter for The Associated Press, and was a senior correspondent covering the Defense Department for Newsweek. A veteran of the Afghanistan war, he served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an infantryman, a combat marksmanship instructor and as an intelligence cell chief.
- By James LaPorta|Pentagon Reveals Defense Secretary Admitted to Military Hospital
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Lloyd Austin was admitted for ‘complications following a recent elective medical procedure’
By James LaPorta| - By James LaPorta|Why US Is Pulling Its Most Powerful Warship Out of the Middle East Even as Threats Spike
Experts are divided as to whether the departure of the USS Ford Carrier Strike Group is a good idea – or a dangerous one
By James LaPorta| - By James LaPorta|Inside NORAD’s Santa Tracker: How America’s Defense Against Nuclear Armageddon Became a Cheery Christmas Tradition
The Pentagon’s “Santa Tracker” started with a child’s wrong-number call nearly 70 years ago
By James LaPorta| - By James LaPorta|US Announces New Task Force to Combat Houthi Attacks on Shipping
The new force is aimed at deterring further attacks in one of the world’s most important shipping lanes
By James LaPorta| - By James LaPorta|Ukraine Faces Ammunition Stocks Running ‘Desperately Low’ as Aid Falters
For all the high-tech weaponry on the battlefield, supplies of ammunition may be Ukraine’s biggest problem in 2024
By James LaPorta| - By James LaPorta|Secret Service Investigated Comedian Shane Gillis for Saying Trump Would Be ‘Funniest President to See Get Shot’ (Exclusive)
The joke came after Gillis, who has a hit new Netflix special, was fired from ‘Saturday Night Live’ over racist and homophobic slurs in 2019
By James LaPorta| - By James LaPorta|One US Marine Dead, Dozen More Hospitalized After Training Accident in California
The Marines were traveling in an amphibious combat vehicle, designed to operate on the sea and on land, at the time of the accident
By James LaPorta| - By James LaPorta|US, Ukraine Officials Privately Say Counteroffensive Against Russia Has ‘Failed’ (Exclusive)
The assessments come at a volatile time for Ukraine as the Biden Administration presses Congress for more than $60 billion in additional support
By James LaPorta and Nicole Gaudiano| - By Chris Harris|Texas Shooting Suspect Shane James Accused of Hours-Long Rampage Served as Army Infantry Officer
James — jailed on four capital murder charges — was an infantry officer in the Army from February 2013 to August 2015
By James LaPorta and Chris Harris| - By James LaPorta|A Soldier’s Rant At Biden Administration Over Bill for Alleged Gear Left in Afghanistan Goes Viral
‘I want to holler, I wanna scream, I wanna yell but it won’t do any good’
By James LaPorta| - By James LaPorta|Vietnam Vet, Cousin of Emmett Till Fights for Purple Heart Denied Because of His Race
Six decades ago, an Army officer told Army Spc. Gerald Smith, Sr., ‘We don’t give negroes Purple Hearts’
By James LaPorta| - By James LaPorta|Pentagon Considers Deploying Marine Regiment to Middle East as Israel-Hamas War Rages (Exclusive)
If activated, the troops would need to be ready to deploy within 72 hours of receiving the notice, US military sources told The Messenger
By James LaPorta| - By Bruce Golding|Intel Confirms Hamas Has Base at Al-Shifa, Prepared to Fight Israel Over Gaza Hospital: US
‘They have weapons stored there and are prepared to respond to an Israeli military operation against the facility,’ Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said
By James LaPorta , Nicole Gaudiano and Bruce Golding| - By James LaPorta|Veteran Awarded Compensation for Exposure To Contaminated Water on US Navy Ship – 7 Years Later
The disability compensation comes five months after the Navy finally admitted the U.S.S. Boxer’s water supply had been contaminated
By James LaPorta| - By Ben Feuerherd|Ex-Delta Pilot Charged With Threatening to Shoot Airline Captain Currently Deployed With Air Force Reserve
Lt. Colonel Jonathan J. Dunn has had his access to sensitive information revoked in light of the charges, according to the Air Force
By James LaPorta and Ben Feuerherd|
