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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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Image: WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 3: The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron F-16 Thunderbirds perform as part of the nation's 250th anniversary celebration on July 3, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
United States

Dozens of jets, bombers and helicopters will fly over DC today

The nine-hour 4th of July airshow includes demonstration teams, parachute jumps and a nighttime afterburner flyover.

Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) stand guard in Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5, 2025. Twelve checkpoints manned by the Nigerian army control the various entrances to Monguno. Monguno's huge fortifications have kept the garrison town mostly secure even as northeastern Nigeria has seen a recent surge in attacks on military bases by jihadists fighting a grinding 16 year war. Fighting in Borno may have eased since the conflict's highpoint in 2015 as jihadists have been forced back. But militants from Islamic State West Africa Province or rival Boko Haram have attacked or temporarily overrun a dozen military bases since the start of the year. (Photo by Joris Bolomey / AFP) (Photo by JORIS BOLOMEY/AFP via Getty Images)
Africa

US withdraws combat troops from Nigeria after counterterrorism mission

Roughly 200 American service members deployed earlier this year to train Nigerian forces.

Image: 260507-N-KL637-1069 GREAT LAKES, Ill. (May 7, 2026) – Capt. Christopher Williams, assistant judge advocate general of the Navy for education, training, and professional development, attends the capping ceremony at Recruit Training Command. The capping ceremony marks recruits becoming Sailors at the end of RTC’s crucible event, Battle Stations. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy's only boot camp. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Stuart Posada) 
Navy

Navy reaches its recruiting goal 3 months early

It’s the second year in a row the Navy’s recruiting arm hit its quota early.

The initial design of the National Global War on Terror Memorial drew sharp criticism for its ambigious message. But that, argues one veteran, is its greatest strength.
Commentary

How do you memorialize a war whose legacy is still being written?

Without interpretation, the memorial to America’s longest period of conflict risks becoming an elaborate version of “thank you for your service.” 

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division, suppress simulated enemy positions during a live fire night platoon attack on Range 410 Alpha as part of Integrated Training Exercise 3-26, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, June 7, 2026. ITX is designed to generate combat readiness and ensure the Reserve Component provides critical strategic depth to the Total Force. From complex combined arms maneuvers to all-domain integration, these Marines are proving that they are ready to augment, reinforce, and fight alongside the active component at a moment's notice. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Van Hoang)
News

A congressional fight over VA benefits is dividing veterans groups

Some veterans groups believe the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act is the best chance to pass reforms. Others believe it does more harm than good.

Col. Tracy Allen was relieved of command on June 30 of the 633rd Medical Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
Air Force

Top medical commander fired at Joint Base Langley-Eustis

Col. Tracy Allen was relieved of command on June 30 of Langley’s 633rd Medical Group for a “loss of confidence” in her leadership.

A mission crew boards a U.S. Air Force EA-37B Compass Call at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 7, 2025. Teams from the USAF and the Royal Australian Air Force trained together on an EA-37B in preparation for the RAAF receiving its own version of a Gulfstream-based special mission support aircraft. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)
Aircraft

Why the Air Force is turning this business jet into a weapon

The Air Force is hitting refresh on electronic warfare and the EA-37B Compass Call may have an outsized role to play.

Airman Jenna Paz, assigned to the ’Nightdippers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, directs an MH-60S Sea Hawk while conducting a vertical replenishment with with Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Indian Ocean, April 19, 2026. The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe Africa, and defend U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Lucas Krug)
Navy

Search underway for missing crew member after helicopter crashes in Arabian Sea

One crew member from a Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter is missing after the aircraft went down in the Arabian Sea.

A supply of Meals Ready-to-Eat (MREs) is prepared for distribution to 944th Fighter Wing Reserve Citizen Airmen during Exercise Desert Hammer 25-1 at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Nov. 13, 2024. Set against the unmatched backdrop of the Barry M. Goldwater Range, Desert Hammer leverages Arizona’s strategic geography to provide realistic combat training for U.S. and allied forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyler J. Bolken)
News

Former soldier convicted of stealing $1 million worth of MREs

And we’re all asking the same question: Why?

Doomsday Plane Insignia
Air Force

Air Force brings World War II tail insignia out of retirement for ‘Doomsday Plane’

The Square B insignia used to identify B-17 bombers now adorns the E-4B Nightwatch, an airborne command post designed to survive a nuclear war.

CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, Ark. (June 7, 2026) — Chaplain Candidate 2nd Lt. Ward, battalion chaplain for the 871st Troop Battalion, 87th Troop Command, Arkansas National Guard, conducts a religious service at the Post Chapel during annual training at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Ark., June 7, 2026. As a chaplain candidate, Ward advises commanders on matters of morale, ethics, and religious support while providing spiritual care to Soldiers across the formation. In addition to conducting worship services, he regularly visits Soldiers in classrooms, training areas, and field environments to ensure they have access to counseling, ministry, and spiritual support wherever they serve. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Tori Peterson)
News

Annual ‘religious liberty training’ for troops could be on the way

A White House panel recommended an annual training requirement along with expanded role for religion across the military. Pentagon officials said they “welcome” the recommendations.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Yoel Rhe, a scout team leader with Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, scans for vessels aboard Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) while transiting the Surigao Strait, April 26, 2026. The 11th MEU, embarked aboard the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, is a persistent, combat credible force contributing to deterrence and crisis response in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet, the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Joseph Helms)
Marine Corps

The new Marine Scout career field is officially here

Starting on Oct. 1, Marine Scouts will have a primary military occupational specialty, similar to machine gunners and mortarmen.

USS Juneau
Navy

This is the moment the Navy’s USS Juneau was sunk in the name of training

The decommissioned amphibious transport dock was sunk on June 27, more than 200 nautical miles off the coast of Guam as part of a military exercise.

A U.S. Army Soldier with the Army Marksmanship Unit conducting rifle drills with the XM8 at Fort Benning, Georgia in February 2026. (Photo by U.S. Army)
Army

Army says M7 ‘production line has changed to the XM8’ carbine

Although the Army has not purchased any M7 rifles since October, future purchases remain “pre-decisional,” an Army spokesperson said.

Ranger students with class 26-03 complete various obstacles at the Malvesti Obstacle Course Jan. 06, 2026, at Camp Rogers, on Fort Benning, Georgia. The Obstacle Course is conducted during the first phase of U.S. Army Ranger School known as the Darby phase. (U.S. Army photo by Daniel Marble)
Army

Men at Ranger School face greater hormonal changes than women, study finds

“An elite warfighter is an elite war fighter. It doesn’t matter what your sex is,” said the study’s lead researcher.

Marine Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco.
Marine Corps

Marine lost at sea identified as 21-year-old infantryman from Minnesota

Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco, 21, of Minnesota, was declared dead on June 27 after being reported missing while serving aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage.

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Tech & Tactics

A U.S. Sailor signals the launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 37, from the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while operating in support of Operation Epic Fury in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, March 2, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
News

AI is meant to speed up ‘kill chain,’ not control it, commanders say

Air Force

Air Force relocates recon drone squadron to Japan

Drones

Ukraine is shredding Russian supply lines. The US should pay attention

Iran

The US would need at least 1,200 troops to take Kharg Island, experts say

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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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