Task & Purpose. News, culture, and analysis by and for the military community.
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What would special operations forces do in a really big war?
The leaders of the Army’s 22,000-person Special Operations Command are planning what their small units will do in a big war.
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The Army’s barracks plan hinges on cheaper buildings with shorter lifespans
The Army wants to build cheaper barracks they can easily replace, but that has raised concerns that soldiers will end up in buildings that are just going to fall apart faster.
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Youngest soldier in Army’s Best Squad wanted to win ‘with the guys to my left and right’
The team of five Army Rangers named Best Squad this week included experienced soldiers and one so new he had yet to earn a Ranger tab.
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How the Army’s training ‘crucible’ bases are changing
In Germany, skies fill with thousands of drones, and soldiers in Hawaii and Alaska are likely to see changes as the Army’s training centers adapt.
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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.
More from Task & Purpose
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Over 200 troops have been awarded Purple Hearts during the Iran war
Over 180 of the awards for those injured in combat have gone to soldiers in the Army and Army Reserve, with 11 presented posthumously.
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Trump reverses Pentagon’s plan to livestream Hasan execution
President Donald Trump posted on social media that the execution would still occur at Fort Hood, Texas, by firing squad, but would not be livestreamed to the general public.
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Eighth Army awarded South Korean Presidential Unit Citation once again
The Eighth Army received South Korea’s highest military honor weeks after joint exercises on the peninsula were cut short.
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Here’s what the commander of the 101st Airborne says the future of air assault looks like
The 101st Airborne Division is still training for air assaults in 21st-century wars, but wants to bring new tech and aircraft to bear.
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Army’s newly named XM1776 howitzer prototype can shoot twice as far as predecessor
The XM1776, based on Hanwha’s K9 Mobile Howitzer, can fire twice as far as the M777 and uses a smaller crew.
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Rangers sweep the Army’s Best Squad and Best Soldier awards
Rangers have now won three of the last four Army-wide Best Squad titles after a team from 3rd Ranger Battalion was named winners Monday.
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In first public speech, acting Army Secretary promotes Amazon-like drone marketplace
“That’s warfighting procurement at the speed of business,” the acting Army Secretary said.
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Army finds ‘several systematic failures’ contributed to DC helicopter crash
Broken communications, errors with altimeters and bright local lighting played a role in the UH-60L’s collision with a commercial airplane.
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Tracking America’s latest conflict: The Iran war timeline
To date, at least 21 American service members have been killed and hundreds more wounded.
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The future of mechanized infantry is charging your phone
Army mechanized units are learning to move energy the way they move water and ammunition.
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Army releases ‘Know the Threat’ guide on Iranian soldiers
The “quick recognition” infographic, published late last month, is meant to help soldiers learn identifying elements of Iran’s ground forces.
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Pentagon raises Iran war death toll to 21
The revised figure includes a soldier who died in March and an unidentified sailor who died in September.
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US forces mobilize to help Panama after major earthquake
Troops are airlifting in supplies and personnel after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit southern Panama on Friday.
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Army activates its fourth multi-domain task force
The 4th Multi-Domain Task Force, based out of Fort Carson, combines long-range missile capabilities with cyber warfare and surveillance personnel.
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National Guard says it is ‘actively addressing’ incident of troops near DC ballot drop box
The District of Columbia’s Board of Elections sent a formal request to the military after Guard members were spotted near a drop box on Thursday.
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.
