Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 11)

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle conducts combat patrols over the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility Oct. 19, 2024. The F-15E is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to allow the Air Force to gain and maintain air supremacy over the CENTCOM area of responsibility and provide security to ground forces conducting counter-violent extremist operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Willis)
Air Force

Idaho Air Force base will host a Qatari F-15 training unit

Qatar will set up a facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho to train F-15 pilots. Secretary Hegseth had to clarify it will be on an existing, U.S.-controlled base, not a new separate Qatari one.

As teams, candidates maneuver an obstacle course during the Special Warfare Training Wing Assessment & Selection Course at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on March 14, 2023. The Special Warfare Training Wing prepares candidates physically, mentally, emotionally and cognitively for demanding careers as special warfare operators. (U.S. Air Force photo by Miriam Thurber)
Air Force

Air Force revamps its special warfare training pipeline

Starting in November, Air Force special warfare students will go through a 16-week “Zulu Course" on combat skills after the assessment and selection process.

The Navy's nuclear ballistic submarine USS Maine conducts surface navigational operations about 50 miles south of Puerto Rico. U.S. Strategic Command is working with the Navy to develop a replacement for the Ohio-class submarine fleet to ensure a continued strong nuclear deterrence into the future. U.S. Navy photo
Navy

Navy fires commanding officer of missile submarine USS Wyoming

Cmdr. Robert Moreno was relieved as commanding officer of the USS Wyoming’s Blue Crew on Oct. 8. The Navy has not said why he was fired other than a "loss of confidence."

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Pacific complete the Incline Skills Trainer during the USARPAC Best Squad Competition, July 18, 2025, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The week-long competition will assess each squad on their technical and tactical proficiency, as well as their ability to work as a disciplined and cohesive team. The competition features a multitude of different fitness and combat related events ranging from the Army Combat Fitness Test and various weapons lanes, to a strenuous 12-mile foot march and detailed individual warrior tasks and squad battle drills. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alvin Conley)
Housing

For barracks overhaul, Hegseth steers towards private contractors

A new Barracks Task Force has 30 days to come up with a plan to bring in private industry and ways to bolster self-help programs.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Ress, 309th Fighter Squadron commander, fastens his oxygen mask to his helmet in the cabin of a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon for the final F-16 flight of the 309th FS, Feb. 26, 2025, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. While the 56th Fighter Wing will continue to support legacy aircraft like the F-16 for international partners, the wing’s mission has sharpened its focus on the U.S. Air Force’s latest fifth-generation fighter, the F-35A Lightning II. The 56th FW mission is essential to generating combat airpower. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Katelynn Jackson)
News

Military charities prepare for surge in cash requests during shutdown

As troops face a missed paycheck Oct. 15, official charity organizations that serve each military branch are already fielding a surge in requests for cash aid.

Tank Names
Army

We salute the soldiers who named their tank ‘Divine Intervention’

“Divine Intervention” is the latest entry in the pantheon of awesome names for U.S. tanks.

U.S. Army Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard, stand in formation at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, June 22, 2025. The Soldiers were part of an element deployed to augment U.S. Marines in protecting the building and manning security points in the surrounding area. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. On June 7, the Secretary of Defense directed USNORTHCOM to establish Task Force 51 to oversee Title 10 forces supporting this mission. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christy L. Sherman)
National Guard

Poll: Most Americans say military should be apolitical and face only ‘external threats’

Fifty-eight percent of all adults surveyed in a new poll said that Trump should only deploy the military against 'external threats.'

Soldiers in military fatigues in the desert, with figures visible in the background, in the Saudi–Iraqi neutral zone on the border between Saudi Arabia and the Iraq, 1991. (Photo by David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
Veterans

Long-dismissed ‘Gulf War Illness’ finally recognized with international medical code

Vets says doctors often question if Gulf War Illness is real. The condition was just added as a formal diagnosis in a key international medical system.

True North
Air Force

Air Force training command may stop embedding mental health teams within units

Air Education and Training Command is considering ending it True North mental health resiliency program, which embeds counselors inside "priority" units. No final decision has been made.

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Jason Myers, an operations chief with 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, replaces a towel rack during Operation Clean Sweep III at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 26, 2025. Operation Clean Sweep III, part of the ongoing Barracks 360 Reset Initiative, demonstrates a collective commitment to improving living conditions through shared ownership, sustained accountability, and tangible improvements to the barracks. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Manuel Rivera)
Housing

Hegseth directs new task force to come up with ‘barracks investment plan’

Though some barracks funding has been diverted to border operations this year, a new task force will have 30 days to come up with new proposals to address substandard facilities.

Philadelphia, PA, USA - November 8, 2015: The U.S. Army Drill Team performs a demonstration for officials gathered at Independence Mall, in Philadelphia, PA, on November 8, 205, for the inaugural Philly Veterans Parade. (photo by Bastiaan Slabbers)
Veterans

One VA staffer rubber-stamped benefits at 20 times the normal rate. That could be bad news for vets.

Lauded by some as a 'hero without a cape,' a VA staffer who blindly approved tens of thousands of benefit packages actually missed many claims, leaving some veterans underpaid.

adam driver john chapman air force combat control movie anne hathaway
Entertainment

Adam Driver will portray Air Force Medal of Honor recipient John Chapman

The Air Force combat controller was killed as he fought alone on an Afghanistan mountain in 2002 after a mission with Navy SEALs went wrong.

Air Force Fitness
Air Force

Air Force says viral ‘combat fitness’ memo isn’t real

The memo appeared to meet Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's call for each service to develop a 'combat' fitness test. But Air Force officials say it's fake.

Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment) 1st Class Anthony Huffman, from Forest Grove, Oregon, conducts maintenance on aircraft in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the Pacific Ocean, July 27, 2024. Nimitz is underway conducting routine operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anthony Lagunes)
Navy

Navy maintenance crews are stripping their own jets and submarines for spare parts

Mechanics working on Navy F/A-18s stripped radio cables from some jets to repair others because the parts were only available "on the schedule" of the original manufacturer.

National Guard troops carry riot shields with "California National Guard" on them.
National Guard

National Guard deployment to Portland blocked as Texas troops called up

The ruling follows orders for the Texas National Guard to deploy to Portland and Chicago after trying to federalize Oregon troops.

PORTLAND, OREGON - OCTOBER 04: Federal agents, including members of the Department of Homeland Security, the Border Patrol, and police, attempt to keep protesters back outside a downtown U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on October 04, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. The facility has become a focal point of nightly protests against the Trump administration. A federal judge in Portland has temporarily blocked President Trump from sending in the National Guard to quell protests. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
National Guard

Judge halts National Guard deployment to Portland

The temporary block prevents 200 federalized Oregon Army National Guard troops from being sent to Portland until Oct. 18.

BROADVIEW, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 03: Police confront demonstrators during a protest outside an immigrant processing and detention center on October 03, 2025 in Broadview, Illinois. The site has been the target of frequent protests as federal law enforcement agents continue Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area, an operation designed to apprehend and deport undocumented immigrants living in the area. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
National Guard

Trump authorizes 300 National Guard troops to deploy to Chicago

The president authorized the deployment of National Guard troops after Gov. Pritzker says he refused to order them into Chicago.

U.S. Space Force Guardians monitor workstations in the Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. The center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week; continuously coordinating, planning, integrating, synchronizing and executing space operations; providing tailored space effects on demand to support combatant commanders; and accomplishing national security objectives. (Composited images are used over the monitors for operational security.)
Space Force

Space Force wants an opposition force in orbit

The military wants to launch a series of satellites into space that would be set aside specifically for Guardians to use when serving as a red team for training.

Government Shutdown
News

Troops who need cash during shutdown have options

Troops could miss their Oct. 15 paycheck due to the government shutdown. Here are some options for those who need financial help.

Aerial photo of a speedboat moving through the caribbean, shared by Pete Hegseth. There is an "unclassified" banner above it.
Americas

US forces strike a fourth boat in the Caribbean

The Friday morning attack killed four people, Hegseth said, bringing the overall death toll over the last month to 21.