Drew F. Lawrence

Contributor

About

Drew F. Lawrence is an award-winning reporter and producer specializing in military and national security coverage. A graduate of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, Lawrence has also been published in Military.com, CNN, The Washington Post, Task & Purpose and The War Horse. Originally from Massachusetts, he is a proud New England sports fan and an Army veteran.

More from Drew F. Lawrence

A U.S. Marine with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South, signals to a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II assigned to VMFA-225 at Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Nov. 6, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)

What 3 former SOUTHCOM commanders say troops should know about Venezuela

By Jeff Schogol, Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Nov 19, 2025

Marine Sgt. Gordon Reed as a lance corporal. After he collapsed during a PT test, family and friends said a series of mistake reduced his chances of survival.

A Marine collapsed during a PT test. His family and former leadership say his death was preventable.

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Nov 17, 2025

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Nick Coronado, a diver assigned to Coast Guard Regional Dive Locker Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, prepares to descend below the surface in the Honolulu Harbor, Hawaii Sep. 26, 2025. Coast Guard Regional Dive Locker Pacific members and a Coast Guard Station Honolulu 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew worked together to inspect and service channel marker buoys in Honolulu harbor, Hawaii. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Robertson)

Coast Guard looks for another boot camp location as recruitment booms

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Nov 12, 2025

Marines conduct full military funeral honors with escort for U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Harlan Chapman at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.

Vietnam War pilot and longest-held Marine POW laid to rest at Arlington

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Nov 10, 2025

"Atropia," a film that centers around a fictional country the Army created in 2012, is set to release on Dec. 12.

Atropia: The Army’s biggest inside joke has its own movie

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Nov 7, 2025

The Marine Corps is offering cash bonuses for recruits wanting to join cyber, electronic jobs.

Marines offer tech-savvy recruits $15,000 to enlist

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Nov 5, 2025

NAVAL STATION GREAT LAKES (November 3, 2025) — Fireman William Thompson, right, a native of Seale, Ala., and student at Surface Warfare Engineering Schools Command (SWESC) Great Lakes, receives a command challenge coin from Commanding Officer Cmdr. Quentin Cooper, Nov. 3, for his role in rescuing a man from a flame-engulfed vehicle. Oct. 25. Thompson dove into action by breaking open a car's window after noticing it had caught fire and filled with smoke on the upper level of a mall's parking garage in Schaumberg, Ill. SWESC is responsible for providing technical training to every surface Navy engineer, quartermaster, boatswain and deck seaman; preparing each Sailor to perform on U.S. Navy ships operating around the globe. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian T. Glunt)

Navy sailor rescues driver from burning car but mother’s vehicle lost to flames

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Nov 4, 2025

Marines detonate C4 plastic explosives at the ETA-7 Engineer Demolition Training Range on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. on April 17, 2018.

Marines beef up security for weapons, ammo, explosives after lapses were found

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Oct 31, 2025

Soldiers from A-Co, 1-502nd Infantry Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division conduct a mounted patrols on their Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISV) at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany Oct. 19, 2025. The 101st is currently executing Combined Resolve 26-1 at the Joint Multinational Training Center (JMRC). This critical exercise assesses and stresses the new Mobile Brigade Combat Team (MBCT) formation, and builds upon lessons learned from their previous CTC rotation in 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Brian Sutherland)

101st Airborne infantry unit leaves Europe as US focuses on border, drug war

By Drew F. Lawrence, Jeff Schogol

Posted on Oct 29, 2025

No clear winner emerged from teams of Marines, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs and Air Force airmen competed in a "Drone Crucible" in September.

No clear winner in military’s first ‘drone crucible’

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Oct 29, 2025

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Hector Orenga, 305th Air Mobility Wing crew chief, conducts engine inspections on a C-17 Globemaster III at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Jan. 24, 2024. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in deployed areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Sergio Avalos)

Troops, families and military civilians: How is the shutdown affecting you?

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Oct 28, 2025

Troops and their families reported missed or incorrect paychecks last week after the Defense Department shifted $8 billion to dish out pay and a Pentagon official said all troops with active pay accounts were paid on Oct. 15th.

Some troops report mid-month pay issues after Pentagon shifts billions amid shutdown

By Drew F. Lawrence

Posted on Oct 23, 2025

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