Dan Lamothe

Washington, D.C.

Covering the Pentagon and the U.S. military

Education: University of Massachusetts at Amherst, BA in journalism; University of Maryland at College Park, master's in journalism

Dan Lamothe joined The Washington Post in 2014 to cover the U.S. military. He has written about the Armed Forces for more than 15 years, traveling extensively, embedding with each service and covering combat in Afghanistan numerous times. A native of Chicopee, Mass., Lamothe first took an interest in writing for newspapers in high school, and his enthusiasm for it grew while attending the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. As an undergraduate, he was deeply involved at The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, the student newspaper on campus, and led its newsroom as managing editor as a senior. I
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Latest from Dan Lamothe

Chinese balloon part of vast aerial surveillance program, U.S. says

China’s spy balloon effort operates in Hainan province off China’s south coast and has for years collected information on military assets in several countries, U.S. officials say.

February 7, 2023

Ukraine live briefing: State Department weighs $10 billion HIMARS deal with Poland

U.S. officials said providing the weapons to Poland would meet U.S. foreign policy goals by “improving the security of a NATO Ally.”

February 7, 2023

U.S. military failed to detect prior Chinese incursions, general says

The Pentagon’s disclosure that previous Chinese balloon incursions occurred during Trump’s time in office was met with surprise by the former president.

February 6, 2023

Pentagon reports past Chinese surveillance balloons near Florida, Texas

Several previous incursions of U.S. airspace by Chinese surveillance balloons were occurred Texas, Florida, Hawaii and Guam, defense officials have told Congress.

February 5, 2023

U.S. military downs Chinese balloon over Atlantic Ocean

The airship, which Pentagon officials characterized as an attempt by Beijing to collect military intelligence, was shot down off the South Carolina coast.

February 4, 2023

American killed in Ukraine was working as humanitarian medic

Pete Reed, 33, served as a Marine Corps infantryman in Afghanistan, and then went to work saving lives in Iraq and Ukraine.

February 3, 2023

Chinese spy balloon flying over U.S. ‘right now,’ Pentagon says

China's foreign ministry called the incursion “unintended,” and identified the craft as a civilian airship “used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes.”

February 3, 2023

Ukraine live briefing: Ukraine widens corruption crackdown; France to give Kyiv air defense radar

Several Western allies including the United States say they won’t send fighter jets, but some Pentagon officials say they think President Biden may eventually acquiesce.

February 1, 2023

Biden’s ‘no’ on F-16s for Ukraine met with skepticism in Pentagon

The administration has exhibited a pattern of rejecting similar pleas from the government in Kyiv only to relent later.

January 31, 2023

Short on time, Biden sought new Ukraine tank plan to break stalemate

Amid growing discord, a new proposal swayed a reluctant ally, as Germany relented on Leopards and U.S. pledged (eventually) to provide Abrams tanks to Kyiv.

January 28, 2023