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

Right: Terry McIntosh, kneeling, with retired Lt. Col. Al Kittredge at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in June 2026. Left: An undated photo of McIntosh during his time in the Army.
Army

At 18, he fought with Green Berets in Vietnam. Now, he finally has his Special Forces tab.

At 18 in Vietnam, Terry McIntosh fought as a Special Forces soldier, though it wasn’t until this year that his service as a Green Beret was officially recognized.

Capers Ripley Dockery 2026
Marine Corps

Three officers who overcame desperate odds receive Medals of Honor

Two Marines who served heroically in Vietnam and an Army officer who used his body to shield a soldier in Afghanistan received the award.

After two full days and nights of events to test their stamina, technical prowess and mental acuity, the remaining teams crossed the finish line April 12, 2026 at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus Georgia, concluding the 2026 Best Ranger Competition. Sgt. Drew Schorsh and Spc. Caleb Godbold, representing the 75th Ranger Regiment, was the winning team. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick A. Albright)
Army

Specialist and sergeant win Best Ranger competition for first time in nearly 40 years

“We had each other’s back, and knew that when one of us was in trouble, the other was there to carry the load.”

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U.S. Soldiers from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, position their M1A2 Abrams into a berm fighting position and fire at targets using the main gun, near Boleslawiec, Poland, July 23, 2026.The berm fighting position is a pit that has been dug out in order to sink the tank below ground level leaving only the turret exposed, minimizing the exposed profile by using cover and concealment. U.S. Army V Corps, headquartered in Fort Knox, Kentucky, is the Army’s only forward-deployed corps in Europe, providing command and control of rotational forces in support of NATO allies and partners. V Corps enhances regional security, strengthens interoperability, and supports deterrence efforts across the European theater. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Logan Ubaldo Lechuga)
Culture

We salute the soldiers who named their tank ‘Big Man Blastoise’

The M1A2 Abrams isn’t a water-type Pokémon but the thought counts.

Image: A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron takes off within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Nov. 15, 2024. The B-52H provides strategic options and flexibility to U.S. and coalition senior leaders with the aircraft's ability to employ a wide range of weapons with precision and deliver a decisive response to adversaries who threaten peace and security across the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zeeshan Naeem
Air Force

B-52 modernization effort sees delays, rising costs, watchdog finds

A new Government Accountability Office report found “performance challenges” in the program to keep the aging bomber in service through 2050.

A U.S. Army service member, a candidate of Jungle Operation Training Course - Panama, high crawls during the green mile at Aeronaval Base Cristóbal Colón, Panamá, July 2, 2026. U.S. Southern Command is focused on increasing partner nation capacity and interoperability in the region and reflects the United States’ enduring promise of friendship, partnership and solidarity with the Panamanian people. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Carolyn Dodge)
Army

Soldiers can now wear the Jungle tab Army-wide

Soldiers who completed the jungle school in Panama or Hawaii or Jungle Operations Training Center at Fort Sherman in the 1990s are retroactively eligible.

U.S. Marines with Alpha Company, Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry - West, conduct a hike during a Warfighting Field Exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 9, 2026. The WARFEX serves as the culminating event at ITB, evaluating students’ proficiency in decision-making and physical capabilities that will familiarize them with the skills of a Marine Corps Basic Infantryman. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Haley Fourmet Gustavsen)
News

VA to test whether GLP-1s can treat alcohol use disorder

The new Cessation or Reduction of Alcohol Consumption in Veterans trial, or “CRAVE trial,” will see if the popular weight loss drug can curb alcohol use.

U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 214, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing taxi the flight line after arriving at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, March 8, 2025. VMFA-214, an F-35B squadron from MCAS Yuma, Arizona, deployed to augment MAG-12, 1st MAW under the Unit Deployment Program, which provides U.S.-based units with operational experience in the Indo-Pacific. Their arrival marked the start of the Marine Corps’ transition from the F/A-18 Hornet to the F-35 for rotational deployments to the region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Samantha Rodriguez)
Marine Corps

Marine Corps F-35B crashes on runway of California base, pilot safe

A Marine Corps F-35B was involved with a Class A mishap in California on Friday. The pilot has been recovered.

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Calvinita Alston, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilot with the 3rd Battalion, 501st Attack Battalion, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB) in support of Operation Ardent Vanguard, prepares for air extraction operations near Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., July 9, 2026. The operation strengthened air-ground integration by rehearsing the air insertion, tactical employment and extraction of personnel and Infantry Squad Vehicles. U.S. Northern Command is working side-by-side with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection within narrowly defined authorities to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border. (Dept. of War photo by Cpl. Mhecaela Watts)
Army

Army offers up to $200,000 in bonuses to keep senior pilots

The Army has overhauled its aviation corps over the last year, cutting thousands of aviation jobs, including junior pilots.

Marines
Marine Corps

Marines to get new anti-drone round for M4 and M27 rifles

The Drone Round 5.56 L Variant cartridge separates into five distinct projectiles after it’s fired. It was built specifically for small drones.

Patriot Missile Launch
Army

It could take the US military 3 years to restock its missile defenses

Experts say it will take years for the U.S. military to replenish the Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missiles that it has used for the Iran war.

Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers of the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat team board an aircraft to begin the first leg of their deployment in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
News

New rules for troops leaving the military miss mental health obstacles, experts say

A revamp of Pentagon rules for troops leaving the military misses veterans outside the mental health system as they enter a vulnerable year, experts say.

Aircraft is staged for flight operations on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury, Mar. 3, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
Iran

Tracking America’s latest conflict: The Iran war timeline

To date, 18 American service members have been killed and hundreds more wounded.

A soldier oversees the massive 3-D printers at Fort Bliss, Texas, as they construct new barracks for troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border. The barracks opened in late July with beds for 560.
Army

101st Airborne troops will stay in 3D-printed barracks on border deployment

Troops from the 101st Airborne Division will be among the first to live in the $62 million barracks in an upcoming deployment to Fort Bliss, Texas.

Iraq
Iran

Iraq once again becomes a battlefield in the Iran war

U.S. and Saudi fighters attacked Iranian-backed groups in Iraq following drone attacks on American forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.

MV-22B Osprey
Marine Corps

Marine Corps takes delivery of final MV-22B Osprey

The Marine Corps received its final MV-22B Osprey on Tuesday. The service has procured a total of 359 of the tiltrotor aircraft.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reenlists Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Dakota Meyer in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., April 17, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
News

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer now a special assistant to Hegseth

“I’m committed to serving our service members, their families, and the American people,” Meyer wrote after he was sworn in to the new role. It was unclear what his duties will be.

Thousands of sailors may stay in RVs, trailers, commercial apartments or other temporary housing while the Navy renovates barracks across multiple bases.
Navy

Sailors could live in RVs or houseboats as Navy overhauls barracks

The Navy said it would consider apartments, “man camps,” RVs and even houseboats for sailors displaced during an overhaul of “unaccompanied housing” barracks.

Caption: F-16s with the 480th Fighter Squadron fly over Germany in 2024. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessica Sanchez-Chen.
Air Force

How ‘Wild Weasel’ missions became essential in the fight with Iran

Anti-air defenses pose a real risk to American aircraft, which is why certain units specialize in taking them out.

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The Iran War

Marine Corps 31st MEU
Iran

The US is in another asymmetric war in the Middle East

Army

Pentagon identifies soldier killed in Iraq during controlled detonation

Iran

US service member killed in Iraq during a ‘controlled detonation’ of an Iranian munition

Iran

Two US troops killed, one missing in Iranian attack on Jordan

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Task & Purpose was founded in 2014 to cover the military and veteran community from a rank-and-file perspective, and continues to do so 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.

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