Task & Purpose. News, culture, and analysis by and for the military community.

More from Task & Purpose

every marine corps rifle all time

Here is every rifle Marines have used in the last 250 years

The Marine Corps posted a new website that reviews every standard rifle issued to Marines in the service’s 250 year history, from muskets to M4s.

An 8th Air Force B-17 bomber flies over a bombed target in 1943.

The Army Air Forces tried to use remote-controlled bombers as attack drones in World War II

The 8th Air Force converted B-17 bombers into early drones, packed with explosives and intended to use to take out fortified targets.

Pentagon sets up interservice counter-drone task force

Pentagon sets up interservice counter-drone task force

The Army will lead the new group, which will try to coordinate the different service branches’ efforts to develop ways to take out enemy uncrewed vehicles.

Army combat patch

Army authorizes combat patches for soldiers in parts of Africa, the Middle East

Soldiers who deployed in 14 countries between October 2023 and June 2025 are eligible to wear the patches on their uniform sleeves.

190714-N-TI693-0097 BLACK SEA (July 14, 2019) - Operations Specialist Seaman Raymond Zumba, from New York, stands watch as aft lookout during a straits transit en route to the Mediterranean Sea, July 14, 2019. Carney, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is on its sixth patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of regional allies and partners as well as U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Fred Gray IV/Released)

Navy sailor pleads guilty to paying bribe for fraudulent military IDs

Raymond Zumba attempted to pay $3,500 for a former Navy shipmate in exchange for “real but unauthorized” identification cards.

U.S. Marines assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One and Marine Wing Support Squadron 272 discuss fueling during a Forward Arming and Refueling Point exercise as part of Weapons and Tactics Instructor course 1-25 at Auxiliary Airfield Six, near Gila Bend Airfield, Arizona, Oct. 18, 2024. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by MAWTS-1 which emphasizes operational integration of the six functions of Marine aviation in support of the Marine Air Ground Task Force, Joint and Coalition Forces. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Maurion Moore)

Nearly 200 Marines deploy to Florida to support ICE operations

The Department of Defense authorized the mobilization of up to 700 troops in support of the Department of Homeland Security in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

Close-up on a man gambling online using a mobile app on his cell phone while drinking beer at the pub

Gambling addiction in the military may be going unnoticed, advocates warn

A person most likely to develop gambling addiction is a risk-seeking, competitive young man — the same person most likely to join the military. But almost no research exists on military gambling.

Noah Tobin

Navy identifies special warfare sailor killed while parachuting

Navy Special Warfare Boat Operator 2nd class Noah Tobin died on Tuesday during a training parachute jump in Porterville, California.

Abbey Gate

Afghanistan review could lead to change in promotions for NCOs, officers

The Pentagon’s review into the withdrawal from Afghanistan could lead to an overhaul of how young enlisted leaders and officers are evaluated and promoted.

“An Air Traffic Controller from the 190th Air Refueling Wing stands in position as they wait for to marshal a B-2 Spirit Bomber to a designated parking spot at the 190th Air Refueling Wing, Forbes Field Air National Guard Base, Topeka, Kansas on March 2, 2024. Airmen from the 190th Air Refueling Wing teamed up with the 131st Bomb Wing, Missouri Air National Guard, to conduct a training mission involving B-2 Spirit Bombers and a hot pit refueling.” (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Brook Sumonja)

Pentagon now says Iran strikes set nuke program back 1-2 years

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters that U.S. air and missile strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities had “degraded their program by one to two years.”

Israel managed to achieve control over Iranian skies in the opening hours of Operation Rising Lion, but they did it from the ground.

How Iran’s air defense systems were defeated so quickly

Israel managed to achieve control over Iranian skies in the opening hours of Operation Rising Lion, but they did it from the ground.

Soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment conduct fast rope insertion training from a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter assigned to Alpha Company, 2-158 Assault Helicopter Battalion, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. on Aug. 3, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Riley Botz, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade)

Veterans Crisis Line workers juggled multiple chats and texts with veterans, watchdog says

“It’s certainly not a best practice to be trying to assess two people at the same time for suicide,” a former Crisis Line worker told Task & Purpose.

U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, attached to Task Force 51, rehearse non-lethal tactics in Los Angeles, June 11, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. On June 7, the Secretary of Defense directed USNORTHCOM to establish Task Force 51 to oversee Title 10 forces supporting this mission. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jaye Townsend)

New Marines arrive in Los Angeles as first wave heads home

About 400 Marines will soon arrive in Los Angeles as 700 head home. Roughly 150 California National Guardsmen will also be released from duty in the city as the Marines rotate battalions.

Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps learns an old lesson: Don’t mess with Audie Murphy

A run-of-the-mill Instagram post about uniform standards by the top enlisted Marine backfired when soldiers and Marines alike realized the uniform in question belonged to World War II’s most decorated soldier.

Frank S. Wright

WWII Marine Raider who fought at Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal wants cards for 100th birthday

Frank S. Wright, who served in the 4th Raider Battalion in the Pacific during World War II and fought at Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, wants to get 100,000 birthday cards for his 100th birthday on July 5.

An investigation into the death of Army Spc. Matthew Perez cited numerous failures in safety procedures leading up to his fatal parachute jump during a training exercise.

A breakdown of safety procedures ‘directly contributed’ to an 82nd Airborne paratrooper’s death

An Army investigator found that at least one jumpmaster “lied to me” about a key safety inspection prior to Spc. Matthew Perez’s death on Sept. 12, 2024.

More Stories

Sponsored Content

Last Battle of the Pacific

‘Frog Fathers’ — the birth of the Navy SEALs and how the Battle of Okinawa shaped them

Buying a car online versus a dealership

7 reasons T-Mobile is an amazing employer for vets & military spouses

Buying your first home? Here are some great tips from Navy Federal Credit Union

SEE MORE

Task & Purpose was founded in 2014 as a voice for the military community, and continues to serve that community with accurate reporting and great storytelling to this day. Our journalists have reported on the front lines of the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota and the war in Afghanistan. We’ve uncovered American veterans being abused in Kuwaiti prisons, deported veterans being forced to work for Mexican cartels, and drawn national attention to a longstanding legal rule barring service members from suing the government — even in the face of gross negligence.

Read Our Story

Our Staff