Missy Ryan

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering national security and defense

Education: Georgetown University, BA in English; Harvard University, master's in public policy

Missy Ryan writes about national security and defense for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2014 and has written about the Pentagon and the State Department. She has reported from Iraq, Ukraine, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Chile.
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Latest from Missy Ryan

Amid Gaza talks, U.S. releases $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt

The Biden administration had previously withheld some annual funding from Egypt amid scrutiny of its human rights record.

September 11, 2024
President Joe Biden speaks with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi during a U.N. climate summit in 2022.

Ukraine’s Zelensky sharpens appeal to end restrictions on weapons

Zelensky’s appearance at the meeting of arms-donating nations in Germany underscores the critical juncture in Ukraine’s war with Russia.

September 6, 2024
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on Friday at the U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany.

Nicaragua frees 135 political prisoners after secret U.S. negotiations

Among those released are 13 members of a Texas-based evangelical organization. The prisoners were flown to Guatemala and can apply for U.S. residency.

September 5, 2024
Police stand next to a bus waiting for released Nicaraguan political prisoners upon their arrival at an air force base in Guatemala City on Thursday.

Selling America: The Army’s fight to find recruits in a mistrustful, divided nation

Recruiters are contending with a confounding array of political, social and economic crises that have made it harder than ever to find citizens willing to serve.

August 30, 2024

U.S. proposes new Gaza cease-fire plan, seeking agreement by next week

The United States, Qatar and Egypt said in a joint statement that a new cease-fire proposal was on the table, but they did not include any specifics on the deal.

August 16, 2024
A boy walks past shelters for displaced Palestinians in a cemetery in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.

Nearly 100 killed in Israeli strike on school, Gaza officials say

The Israel Defense Forces said Hamas fighters had been operating in the Gaza City school. Eleven children and six women were among those killed, a Gaza official said.

August 10, 2024

Washington and Arab states scramble to avert an all-out Middle East war

As Israel braces for an Iranian attack, and U.S. officials fume at Netanyahu, it’s unclear how much Washington can do to control the spiraling violence.

August 6, 2024
Vice President Harris and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are reflected in a glass tabletop as they meet at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on July 25.

After assassinations, Israel braces for retaliation, wider conflict

In the space of 24 hours this week, each of Israel’s chief adversaries vowed to deal the Jewish state a searing, potentially unprecedented blow.

August 2, 2024
Houthi supporters hold a placard of the late Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh during a protest in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday.

Iran and its allies mourn militant leaders, vow revenge against Israel

Mourners in Iran and Lebanon commemorated slain Hamas and Hezbollah officials as they signaled that the outburst of violence in the region may be far from over.

August 1, 2024

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran, sparking fears of wider war

The killing, which Iran and Hamas blamed on Israel and pledged to avenge, threatens to plunge the region further into chaos and raised fresh doubts about Gaza cease-fire talks.

July 31, 2024
Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh, center, flashes a victory sign while surrounded by Iranian lawmakers at the country's parliament in Tehran on Tuesday.