Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 14)

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - JUNE 29: Incoming plebes (freshmen) march into Bancroft Hall after taking part in their Oath of Office Ceremony during Induction Day at the U.S. Naval Academy on June 29, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland. Approximately 1,200 midshipmen with the Naval Academy's Class of 2027 took part in Induction Day which is their first official day of Plebe Summer and their transition from civilians into fourth-class midshipmen. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Navy

Two people injured during US Naval Academy lockdown

After the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was put on lockdown, officials confirmed there was no active shooter threat.

Marine Recruiter Investigation
Marine Corps

Marine officer fired from recruiting duty over Charlie Kirk social media post

“The Marine in question has been relieved of his recruiting duties and the matter is currently under investigation,” a Marine spokesperson said.

New soldiers arriving for their first day of Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina being greeted by drill sergeants.
Army

Army tells drill sergeants to stop posting videos of recruits during basic training

An update to Army basic training rules forbids drill instructors from creating "social media content" with new recruits, and changes the rules on PT-based "smoke" - a term frowned upon in the rules.

Cmdr. Adam Ochs was relieved of command of the USS Santa Barbara, a littoral combat ship deployed to the Navy's 5th Fleet area of operations.
Navy

Navy relieves commander of littoral combat ship on deployment

The ship is currently in the 5th Fleet's area of operations which covers waters in the Middle East.

A painting showing a space plane, cargo bay open, flying to capture a satellite.
Space Force

Space Force considers adding ‘combat’ to command’s name

Lethality?

Air Force Maj. Ross Elder, a test pilot and combat fighter pilot, was named by NASA as the commander of an upcoming year-long Mars simulation mission. A Space Force officer and Marine Corps fighter pilot were also named to the crew.
Air Force

Air Force test pilot picked to command year-long Mars simulation mission

NASA named an Air Force test pilot, a Space Force officer who was once an ICBM missile officer, and a Marine Corps F/A-18 pilot as crew for a year-long Mars simulation mission.

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in a Title 10 status protect a Los Angeles Federal Building and federal personnel in Los Angeles, Calif., June 9, 2025. Approximately 2,000 National Guard forces are supporting the protection of federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area. (Department of Defense photo by Capt. Alex Werden)
National Guard

Former generals say LA, DC deployments harm troop morale, apolitical reputation

“Disapproval from fellow Americans can only exacerbate feelings of isolation and low morale for the military deployed,” 11 generals wrote in a recent court filing.

Army Body Fat Exemptions
Army

Soldiers who score high on fitness tests are once again exempt from body fat standards

Soldiers who qualify for exemptions but do not meet the Army’s height and weight standards will not be referred to the Army’s Body Composition Program.

Iwo Jima Tank
Marine Corps

World War II Marine veteran reunites with tank he drove on Iwo Jima

Leighton Willhite visited Virginia to see the tank he drove at Iwo Jima, 80 years ago.

U.S. Air Force Airmen 1st Class Maya Hartung, an admin with the 182nd Command Support Squadron, Illinois Air National Guard, poses for a photo of her boots at the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria, Illinois, March 1, 2024. The 182nd Airlift wing operates and maintains C-130 Hercules Aircraft. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Avery Litton)
Air Force

Air Force walks back rules on taller combat boots

A rule that required boots to be 8 inches tall in the heel will now be reduced to 6 inches after airmen found that boots in smaller shoe sizes were often too short.

The USS Canberra sails in the CENTCOM area of operations.
Ships

The Navy turned its ‘little crappy ship’ into a mine hunter

After twenty years and billions of dollars, littoral combat ships are finally performing mine countermeasures as originally planned.

An airman assigned to the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Airlift Wing jumps above Henry E. Rohlsen Airport near Christiansted in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Aug. 26, 2025, as part of Emerald Warrior 25.2, a large-scale special operations exercise being staged in multiple locations by Air Force Special Operations Command.
Air Force

Air Force special ops troops practice airfield seizures amid Caribbean build up

Air Force special operations commandos practiced seizing airfields in the Caribbean as the Navy amassed ships in the region.

A new KC-46A Pegasus connects with an F-15 Strike Eagle for an aerial refueling test over California in 2018. (Courtesy photo by John D. Parker/Boeing)
Air Force

Stuck fuel probe caused trio of mishaps in Air Force’s newest tanker

All three suffered “nozzle binding” events when the tanker’s fuel probes got stuck in fighter planes during refueling.

Rangers Test Drones
Army

Army Rangers are testing out drones as anti-tank weapons

The Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment has been testing whether first-person view drones laden with explosives can penetrate enemy armor.

Soldiers in basic training complete the Rite of Passage ceremony at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, May 11, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Resnick)
Army

Soldier who died in Fort Leonard Wood range incident was a month from graduating basic

Pvt. Andrey Okunev died on Friday after being injured on the rifle range. He and his fellow soldiers were slated to graduate next month.

John "Lucky" Luckadoo near a B-17 in World War II.
World War II

‘Lucky’ Luckadoo, last original pilot of World War II’s ‘Bloody Hundredth’ dies at 103

Maj. John "Lucky" Luckadoo flew 25 bombing missions over Europe during the war, surviving some of the most intense air battles of the war. He became an advocate for the 100th Bomb Group's history.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 28: Tom Hanks attends Focus Features' "The Phoenician Scheme" New York Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 28, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Entertainment

West Point alumni group cancels award ceremony honoring Tom Hanks

Hanks was set to be honored this month at West Point. The group presenting the award says it's focusing instead on training cadets.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 4: National Guard Military Police watch as trains arrive and depart during rush hour at L'Enfant Plaza station on September 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. Members of the National Guard and Federal Law Enforcement continue to patrol the Nation's Capital, weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard and law enforcement to patrol the nation's capital to assist in crime prevention with more than 2,200 National Guard troops have been deployed in Washington, D.C., a mission that experts estimate is costing over $1 million a day when factoring in pay, housing, travel, food, fuel and other logistics, according to comparisons with the 2020 mobilization of 5,000 Guard members that cost more than $2 million daily. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
National Guard

Georgia becomes seventh state to send its National Guard to DC

The 300 guardsmen from Georgia are being sent to relieve some of the approximately 2,300 National Guard troops already active in the nation's capital.

An F-35A Lightning II performs a restricted climb over March Air Reserve Base during takeoff for a practice demonstration, April 11, 2025. The F-35A Demonstration Team showcases the power, precision, and lethality of the world’s most advanced multirole stealth fighter. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Nathan Poblete)
Americas

US sending F-35s to Puerto Rico as military buildup in the Caribbean continues

The 10 stealth fighters will deploy in the wake of the Navy sending seven ships and a submarine to southern Caribbean waters, where the U.S. bombed a civilian boat this week.

FILE: A Naval Special Warfare operator conducts visit, board, search, and seizure training aboard a contracted vessel during maritime interdiction operations training. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Charles Propert/ Naval Special Warfare Group ONE)
Navy

SEAL Team 6 infiltrated North Korea in a mission gone wrong

A report by the New York Times details a complex and risky operation in 2019 to spy on North Korea's leader that ended when the SEALs aborted the mission, killing three fishermen who had stumbled across them.