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

Top Story

Task & Purpose Video

Each week on Tuesdays and Fridays our team will bring you analysis of military tech, tactics, and doctrine delivered from a rank-and-file perspective.

Visit The Channel

More from Task & Purpose

The Grinch poses with a Tyndall F-35A Lightning II during Operation Jolly Jingle, a children’s holiday event hosted at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Dec. 14, 2024. The event featured activities for the children such as face painting, a bounce house and photo opportunities with the Grinch and Santa Claus. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jennifer Jensen)

Air Force families at Florida base told to take down Christmas decorations in privatized housing

It is way too early for Christmas decorations — at least that’s what residents at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida were told.

The FDA recalled a drug prescribed by VA doctors to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder nightmares.

Drug used to treat PTSD nightmares recalled for cancer risk

The Food and Drug Administration said some batches of Prazosin, which VA doctors often prescribe to treat PTSD nightmares, had high levels of cancer-causing agents.

Chief Master Sgt. David Wolfe, Pacific Air Forces Command chief, speaks to an Airman Leadership School class during a site visit at Yokota Air Base, Japan, June 5, 2023. Site visits are opportunities for senior leadership to assess the health of wing level units, meet with local peer leaders, and to spend time mentoring Airmen. Airman Leadership School is the initial level of Professional Military Education enlisted Airmen experience. It’s designed as an entry level leadership course to prepare Senior Airmen for positions of greater responsibility by strengthening leadership, followership, and personnel management while also gaining more understanding of the military profession. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Lackey)

Air Force’s new top enlisted leader had long career in security forces

Chief Master Sgt. David R. Wolfe, the Air Force’s 21st senior enlisted leader, has a long career in security forces units.

The Marine Corps is offering cash bonuses for recruits wanting to join cyber, electronic jobs.

Marines offer tech-savvy recruits $15,000 to enlist

The Marine Corps announced a series of cash bonuses for new recruits, the largest of which aim to fill high-demand jobs like electronics and cyber.

Food Bank

The Army listed German food banks for soldiers seeking shutdown help

The Army removed the list after German media reported that U.S. troops were using the local food banks, a U.S. official said. It’s unclear if any U.S. troops actually did.

USS Gerald R. Ford sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Why the US sent its most advanced aircraft carrier to the Caribbean and what it can do

As the USS Gerald R. Ford sails toward the Caribbean, here’s a closer look at how the Navy’s carrier strike groups project power.

A Soldier enjoys a meal at a dining facility during the 20th Annual Randy Oler Memorial Operation Toy Drop, Dec. 1, 2017. Operation Toy Drop is the world’s largest combined airborne operation with eight partner nation paratroopers participating and allows Soldiers the opportunity to train on their military occupational specialty, maintain their airborne readiness, and give back to the local community. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alicia Pennisi)

Army closes only dining facility on Kansas base due to government shutdown

Officials announced that the dining hall on Fort Leavenworth is closed because of the government shutdown.

NAVAL STATION GREAT LAKES (November 3, 2025) — Fireman William Thompson, right, a native of Seale, Ala., and student at Surface Warfare Engineering Schools Command (SWESC) Great Lakes, receives a command challenge coin from Commanding Officer Cmdr. Quentin Cooper, Nov. 3, for his role in rescuing a man from a flame-engulfed vehicle. Oct. 25. Thompson dove into action by breaking open a car's window after noticing it had caught fire and filled with smoke on the upper level of a mall's parking garage in Schaumberg, Ill. SWESC is responsible for providing technical training to every surface Navy engineer, quartermaster, boatswain and deck seaman; preparing each Sailor to perform on U.S. Navy ships operating around the globe. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian T. Glunt)

Navy sailor rescues driver from burning car but mother’s vehicle lost to flames

Both sailor William Thompson and his mother were unscathed when he rushed to save a driver from a burning car, breaking a window to free the occupant.

Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon

New ‘Tun Tavern’ to open in Philadelphia 250 years after Marine Corps was born

‘Rah.

A National Guard soldier, walks down the hallway at a hospital in April 2020.

Fort Hood Army doctor accused of inappropriately filming female patients

As the Army conducts a criminal investigation, two law firms are representing patients of the accused doctor as they prepare to file civil lawsuits.

Retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Tony Grinston, currently the CEO of Army Emergency Relief, talks to troops in South Korea.

Army charity offers grants to soldiers missing SNAP payments

Tony Grinston, the 16th Sergeant Major of the Army, said that the Army Emergency Relief will cover food assistance for soldiers in need.

Air Force Mustaches

Air Force rolls out new rules on mustaches and sideburns

The Air Force has issued new — and very specific — guidance on the length of airmen’s mustaches and sideburns.

Harris County landscaper Jose Chavarria evens out loose dirt after the planting of a tree to honor Houston native Pfc. Vanessa Guillen, at Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Houston. (Photo by Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

If a soldier goes missing, the Army must now notify family within 8 hours

Army leaders must also inform local police much sooner when a soldier is declared “absent-unknown.”

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith and Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps stand in full dress uniform next to the Marine Corps War Memorial as it rains.

Top Marines stand in a rain storm to wish the Corps a happy birthday

Easily the most Marine thing they could have done.

16 October 2025, USA, Washington Dc: US National Guard soldiers walk up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial in the early morning. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa (Photo by Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images)

National Guard mission in DC extended into 2026

The extension keeps hundreds of National Guard personnel stationed in Washington, D.C. through at least February.

A mugshot of Canyon Amarys.

National Guard soldier indicted in plot to send military radio to Russia

Canyon Amarys allegedly agreed in writing to provide his services to Russia, including procuring a military radio and photographing Fort Riley.

More Stories

Sponsored Content

Art donated by Navy Federal Credit Union. Photo by Cade Martin.

Celebrating the lives and legacies of Veterans

Buying a car this fall? How to get the most out of the dealership

Home Equity 101: What you need to know about your house’s worth

Who can join a military credit union? Hint: It’s not just service members!

SEE MORE

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.

Read Our Story

Our Staff