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A U.S Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, takes off from the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Tsushima Strait, Sept. 18, 2024.
Fighter Aircraft

How the F-35 is changing Marine airpower

The F-35 may be the most capable fighter aircraft the Marines have ever flown, but it also might be the most complicated.

U.S. Marines with Force Reconnaissance Platoon, Maritime Raid Force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, fast rope out of a U.S. Navy MH-60S Seahawk assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Squadron 25, during a fast rope exercise in the Philippine Sea, Feb. 12, 2026. Marines and Sailors conducted fast-rope training to enhance air-to-ground insertion capabilities for operations in support of the 31st MEU. The 31st MEU is a persistent, combat credible force operating aboard the ships of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group in the U.S. 7th fleet area of operations, routinely interacting and operating with our allies and partners to contribute to deterrence, security, crisis response, and combat operations in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Victor Gurrola)
Iran

This is what we know about the Maritime Raid Force used to seize Iranian vessel

A Maritime Raid Force, which consists of both reconnaissance and infantry Marines, boarded and seized an Iranian vessel on April 19.

SMASH 2000L
Marine Corps

Marines on way to Middle East seen using rifles with anti-drone smart scope

The company that makes the SMASH 2000L advanced fire control system confirmed that a recent series of photos show deployed Marines using the smart scope.

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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 13: Eli Heidenreich #22 of the Navy Midshipmen runs the ball during the first half of the 126th Army-Navy Game against the Army Black Knights at M&T Bank Stadium on December 13, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
Culture

Two Navy football players picked in NFL draft

Landon Robinson and Eli Heidenrich were the first pair of Naval Academy midshipmen to be drafted in decades.

Cameroonian soldiers take part a counter-terrorism training session during the Flintlock 2023 military training hosted by the International Counter-Terrorism Academy with United States Special Forces in Daboya, in the Savannah region of Ghana, on March 11, 2023. - The United States Army launched a counter-terrorist drill with African armies. (Photo by Nipah Dennis / AFP) (Photo by NIPAH DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Army

Army nurse accused of actively helping separatist militants in Cameroon

The officer, a nurse assigned to Fort Belvoir, allegedly presented himself as a combat veteran and shared Army documents with separatists, even getting on the “war council.”

1st Lts. Christopher Barrett and Bryce Sullenger, from the 75th Ranger Regiment, were the winners of this year's Best Sapper competition.
Army

Rangers win Best Sapper competition for second year in a row

1st Lts. Christopher Barrett and Bryce Sullenger were declared the top combat engineers after several days of grueling challenges.

U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Bravo Battery, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command demonstrate how they prepare the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system for use during the FORSCOM commanding general's visit to Fort Bliss, Texas, Sept. 20, 2023. The THAAD is designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. David Poleski)
Army

The Army is creating a new job for air defense soldiers

Soldiers who train as Air and Missile Defense System Repairers will join some of the most in-demand units in the Army.

Coast Guard shutdown
Benefits & Pay

Coast Guard families say they feel ‘forgotten’ amid government shutdown

“The constant weight of the uncertainty and wondering if their families are going to be okay, that’s, I think, the hardest thing.”

U.S. East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALs), U.S. Army Green Berets from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and Norwegian Special Operations Commandos prepare to conduct close quarters combat training aboard U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Cypress (WLB 210), to strengthen interoperability with and develop skills in an extreme Arctic environment in Kodiak, Alaska, Feb. 24, 2024, during Arctic Edge 24. AE24 is an annual defense exercise for U.S. Northern Command emphasizing Joint Force operations in an extreme cold weather and high latitude environment and is designed to demonstrate the Command’s ability to conduct Globally Integrated Layered Defenses in the Arctic. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matthew Dickinson)
Army

Special Forces soldier won $400K in Polymarket bets on Maduro raid, feds say

Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke is accused of using classified information to place bets on the Jan. 3 raid.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN - MAY 11: U.S. Army soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division march from the back of a C-17 cargo plane May 11, 2013 at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. After flying from their Division headquarters at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the soldiers will deploy for 9 months replacing other U.S. Army units. U.S. soldiers and marines will maintain a presence inside Afghanistan until their planned withdrawal by the end of 2014. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
News

Military contractors no longer have ‘immunity’ to lawsuits brought by troops

The Supreme Court said an Army veteran can sue a contractor whose employee carried out a suicide attack in Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Infantry Division Artillery, work with Philippine Army partners to sling load a Philippine Army M101 howitzer to a CH-47 Chinook during an air assault operation as part of Exercise Salaknib 2026 at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 7, 2026. The training enhances the rapid deployment of artillery assets, increasing the combined readiness of the U.S.-Philippine Alliance. Salaknib is an annual exercise designed to enhance combat readiness and strengthen the U.S.-Philippine Alliance. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Taylor Gray)
Army

Army Chinook makes first landing without a pilot

As the Army looks to cut 6,000 pilots and aviation crew, the Chinook is the second current Army helicopter modified to fly without a pilot.

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan speaks to Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Christian Mercado, from Orlando, Florida, assigned to supply department’s material division in the hangar bay aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) while moored pierside at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, April 28, 2025. George Washington is 7th Fleet’s premier forward-deployed aircraft carrier, a long-standing symbol of the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, while operating alongside Allies and partners across the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tyler Crowley)
Navy

Navy Secretary leaving role ‘effective immediately,’ Pentagon announces

Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve as the Navy’s acting secretary amid John Phelan’s sudden departure.

A Marine assigned to the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Crisis Response- Central Command carries a child to be processed during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 25.
Marine Corps

7 Marines receive award upgrades for Abbey Gate

The move comes after a review found that several of the Marines’ awards had been “inappropriately downgraded,” according to the Pentagon.

An HH-60W Jolly Green II hoists a simulated survivor during an aerial demonstration for Saluting Our Aviation Roots, Feb. 25, 2026, at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. The demonstration highlighted combat search and rescue capabilities for students and families. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Bre Lewis)
Air Force

Air Force wants to use lasers to help protect rescue helicopters after Iran mission

The Air Force wants to install a new laser countermeasure aboard its HH-60W rescue helicopters to fend off heatseeking missiles.

Students with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, load a C-130 aircraft during jump week, May 20, 2025, at the Basic Airborne Course on Fort Benning, Georgia. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Stephanie Snyder)
Military Branches

The US military wants to add 44,500 additional troops next year

These are the branches they’ll be going to.

Sgt. Nathan Winter lifts a 40-lbs sandbag as part of the Army's new Combat Field Test at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia.
Army

Army releases details on new test for combat arms soldiers

The new annual test is adapted from the 7-event field fitness test currently required for the Army’s Expert Infantryman Badge.

Barracks Repair
News

Military budgets $57 billion to fix bases and ‘substandard’ barracks

“The investments in this budget will fix all substandard barracks and eliminate barracks that have been deemed poor or failing.”

A U.S. Air Force Airman from the 23rd Medical Group administers a dose of the influenza vaccine at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, Nov.16, 2022. The mass vaccination campaign enabled the 23rd MDG to vaccinate more than 500 personnel per day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Whitney Gillespie)
News

Hegseth says flu vaccines are now optional across the active duty and reserve force

Under new Defense Department guidance, annual influenza vaccines are now voluntary for all active duty and reserve service members.

A prototype of the new M1E3 Abrams tank was revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan in January.
Army

1st Cavalry Division soldiers will get the Army’s newest tank and infantry combat vehicle first

The soldiers will get prototypes of the new tank and fighting vehicle in the fall. The unit plans to bring them to the National Training Center next Spring.

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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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