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Why Washington state used M60 tanks to prevent avalanches
As Fleetwood Mac taught us: If you fire an M60 tank’s cannon at the snow-covered hills, an avalanche will bring it down.
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The coolest part of this B-52 mission is its name: VIKING NEBULA
Two Air Force B-52H bombers took part in an exercise named VIKING NEBULA over Sweden, proving that U.S. military operation planners haven’t completely lost their mission-naming mojo.
More than 100 soldiers and families lost their belongings in fire near Fort Cavazos
On March 2, a fire engulfed a warehouse in Killeen, Texas, destroying about 120 shipments of household goods for soldiers and military families. Three soldiers lost their homes when an apartment building also burned down.
How the Coast Guard responded to the DC aerial collision earlier this year
The Coast Guard response included nearly 300 personnel, 11 small boat stations and five cutters.
Historic ‘China Marines’ battalion converts into latest Littoral Combat Team
1st Battalion, 4th Marines was established in 1911 and later assigned to Shanghai. The battalion surrendered with all U.S. troops in the Philippines in 1942 and was reborn from the 1st Raider Battalion in 1944.
Army researchers want AI to help soldiers deliver anesthetics in battle
Researchers say the device will expand the number of medical personnel who can deliver pain management drugs on the future battlefield when resources are limited.
80 years ago the Allies found their bridge across the Rhine
The capture of the bridge at Remagen, a surprisingly intact path into Germany, helped U.S. troops hasten the end of World War II.
Space Force’s secretive space plane lands after 434 days in orbit
The X-37B spacecraft’s latest mission was shorter than the last but tried several new maneuvers and approaches during its time in outer space.
Arrested soldier texted Chinese spy: ‘Do you know how risky this is?!?’
Two soldiers and an Army veteran were indicted on charges of selling secrets to a Chinese agent about HIMARS, Bradleys, Strykers, Feds say.
The Air Force is adding 21 more hours to its final field event at boot camp
The three-day final event of boot camp puts recruits through a simulated deployment, with casualty care, supply drops and base defense.
Too close for missiles, switching to guns: How the Navy learned to fight Houthi drones
The Navy eventually found that Houthi drones were flying too close to engage with missiles, so they switched to guns.
The Army didn’t have a photo of the ‘new’ Benning, so we found this one
Cpl. Fred Benning was a World War I hero who became a baker, a successful businessman, and the mayor of Neligh, Nebraska, who once accidentally fired a revolver during a council meeting.
Soldiers in Alaska landed their Black Hawk on a train in a special ops exercise
An aircrew with the Alaska Army Guard pulled off a rare helo-to-train landing during a cold-weather medical exercise for special operations troops in February, balancing their HH-60M Black Hawk on a narrow flat car.
The Army’s top enlisted leader goes dark on social media
“It’s not about the individual,” said Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer in a video post about the removal of his dedicated social media pages.
Air Force general says service’s newest plane could be used over the US-Mexico border
An Air Force Special Operations Command one-star general recently said the OA-1K Skyraider II could see service on the southern border.
Veteran entrepreneurs say VA cuts have gutted their businesses
Veteran-owned small businesses who work with the Department of Veterans Affairs have seen $2 billion worth of contracts canceled in the last week.
In 15 months, the Navy fired more air defense missiles than it did in the last 30 years
During combat operations in the Red Sea, the Navy fired so many air defense missiles that it drained the service’s stockpile of munitions. So, it turned to 5-inch gun rounds to down drones.
Task & Purpose was founded in 2014 as a voice for the military community, and continues to serve that community 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.
