James LaPorta

Staff Writer
James LaPorta is a staff writer and investigative reporter covering national security and the Department of Defense. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2018, his past bylines, work, and commentary have appeared on and in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, among others. Before transitioning to journalism in 2014, Mr. LaPorta served in the U.S. Marine Corps within the infantry and intelligence communities. He is a veteran of the Afghanistan war.
                                    
U.S.
Naval Appeals Court Overturns Marine Colonel's Child Sex Abuse ConvictionThe child sex abuse conviction of a high-ranking U.S. Marine officer was overturned by an appeals court, sparking outrage from advocacy groups calling for Congressional reform of the military justice system.

U.S.
A Second Military Contractor Killed In Afghanistan Marks A Lethal WeekChristian McCoy, a retired Green Beret working for CACI International, was killed Monday.

World
Pentagon Identifies Two Soldiers Killed In Savage Gun FightThe soldiers died after facing a savage fusillade of gunfire from Taliban militants positioned 10-yards away.

U.S.
First Living Iraq War Medal of Honor Recipient Battled Through FallujaFor former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant David G. Bellavia, the memories of Falluja can seem as if they occurred fifty years ago or just yesterday.

World
Donald Trump Was Ready to Strike Iran Missile System, Then Changed His MindPresident Donald Trump had ordered a series of strikes against Iran in response to the downing of a state-of-the-art drone, but the military operation was called off while in its early stages on Thursday.

Politics
How Conflict Has Shaped Trump's New Acting Defense SecretaryPresident Trump's new acting defense secretary garners bi-partisan support as Patrick Shanahan departs the Pentagon amid allegations of domestic violence.

U.S.
Exclusive: Single Migrant Adults in CBP Detention Growing by 1,000 Per WeekDocuments obtained by Newsweek show the number of single, adult migrants in U.S. custody has grown every week by 1,000 along the U.S.-Mexico border.

U.S.
Exclusive: U.S. Marines Encountered Armed Gunman at Mexico BorderIn a previously undisclosed incident at the U.S.-Mexico border last month, an armed gunman aiming a firearm at Marines was apprehended, according to documents obtained by Newsweek.

U.S.
Pentagon Searching For Troops and Aircraft to Fill Border 'Shortfall'Documents obtained by Newsweek show a shortfall of U.S. military personnel and aircraft at the border as a potential trade war between the U.S. and Mexico looms.

U.S.
Exclusive: Border Mission at 'High Risk of Failure' Without More SupportDefense Department documents obtained by Newsweek show U.S. Northern Command sent an urgent request for additional U.S. forces.

U.S.
Supreme Court Will Not Hear Arguments on Controversial Feres Doctrine"Congress must summon the courage to correct this antiquated law called the Feres doctrine that has harmed our troops," attorney Natalie Khawam,   who represents a dying U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, told Newsweek.

World
Should U.S. Be Trusted on Iran? Israel Gave Missile Reports, Experts Wary"Be on the lookout for Iraq 2.0 justifications. I'm not even kidding," one U.S. military official told Newsweek.

U.S.
Trump Administration Prepares Multiple Military Options for Iran ConflictThe plans are separated into two categories and involve airstrikes, targeted incursions and setting U.S. forces up for a ground invasion.

U.S.
Trump Administration Restricts Congressional Travel to AfghanistanWhile not uncommon, the request comes at a moment of high tension in Washington as Democrats grow increasingly frustrated by what they view as the Trump administration's obstruction of their oversight responsibilities.

U.S.
Trump's Pardon of Ex-Soldier Raises Questions About Other War Crime Cases"It's a complete disregard for the judgment of those leaders who were put there to hear all the evidence and decided whether somebody was a murderer or not," said a lawyer who specializes in U.S. military cases.

U.S.
House Bill Could Allow Troops to Sue Military for Medical MalpracticeA new bill in Congress could finally allow U.S. service members to sue the military in cases of medical malpractice.

U.S.
Sexual Assaults in Military Surge to Over 20,000, Says Pentagon ReportThe numbers from 2018 paint a bleak picture of a U.S. military culture that has left senior Defense Department officials grappling to find effective methods to stem the surge of assaults.

U.S.
Exclusive: Intel Report Refutes Trump Claim About Terrorist Border ThreatThe report does suggest that violence from Mexican cartels against Defense Department personnel working on the southwest border could increase.

U.S.
Mexican Soldiers Disarmed U.S. Army Troops at BorderConfusion over where the U.S.-Mexico border begins and ends led to Mexican soldiers temporarily detaining U.S. soldiers who believed they were in Mexican territory when they were in U.S. territory.

U.S.
Exclusive: Trump Orders Thousands More Troops to BorderDefense Department documents obtained by Newsweek show a troop surge at the southwest border, a request made by the White House amid President Donald Trump's renewed push to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants.

U.S.
Marines Killed By Car Bomb In Afghanistan IdentifiedThe Pentagon identified three U.S. Marines killed in Afghanistan on Monday after their convoy was attacked by a Taliban militant driving a car rigged with explosives.

U.S.
Car Bomb Kills Three U.S. Troops in AfghanistanThe three American service members died after their military convoy was struck by a suicide bomber.

U.S.
Damaged Bases Receive Recovery Funds; More NeededThe total damage to the Marine Corps installations was estimated at $3.5 billion. The Corps had been self-funding the recovery efforts.

U.S.
Generals Celebrated Leak Amid Growing FrustrationsOne general in attendance said, "This is something that you go to the mat over. Your Marines and their families."

U.S.
Top Marine General Let Emails Leak, Sources Say"He didn't want the Marines and families at Lejeune to get f***ed," one Defense Department source said of the reason why General Robert Neller allowed the emails to leak.

U.S.
Medal of Honor Recipient Saved Three From Iraqi Bomber"I want him to be remembered as the best father that anyone could ask for, and also at the same time being the best soldier that anyone could ask for," said the son of a soldier set to receive the Medal of Honor. "He was my icon."

U.S.
House Armed Services Denies Border Wall RequestHouse lawmakers denied a Pentagon request to shift $1 billion from the Defense Department to fund President Donald Trump's southern border wall.

U.S.
An Embattled Special Forces Unit Suffers More Losses"I'm sad that I'm losing track of all the people I know who have been killed in action. I'm sad and angry," said a former U.S. Army EOD soldier. "I'm sad that he's gone and angry that I can't switch places with him."

U.S.
Trump on ISIS Fighters: Were They Killed or Captured?President Donald Trump said U.S. forces had killed the militants responsible for the January suicide bombing in Syria that claimed the lives of 19 people, among them four Americans, a day after they were reported captured.

U.S.
Pentagon Mail Facility Evacuated"We can confirm the Pentagon mail facility received a suspicious package," said Army Lieutenant Colonel Audricia Harris, a Defense Department spokeswoman.
Pages
