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

A screenshot showing the flight path of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk, alongside a photo of the aircraft.
Mandatory Fun

Coast Guard helicopter flies ‘Ho Ho, Ho holding pattern’ off the coast of Puerto Rico

This Coast Guard helicopter has a flight path now. Ho. Ho. Ho.

Image Capt. Jon O’Connor, prospective Commanding Officer, Information Warfare Squadron (IWRON) Two, and Rear Adm. Dusty Rhodes, Commander, Carrier Strike Group TWO, render a salute during an assumption of command ceremony for IWRON Two in Norfolk, Virginia. IWRON Two, a first-of-its-kind unit designed to operationalize Information Warfare (IW) capabilities and provide decisive decision advantage to Carrier Strike Group Commanders, was established, Dec. 5. IWRON Two will serve as the pilot squadron on the East Coast, with another squadron being established on the West Coast in 2026 The establishment of IWRON Two marks a crucial step forward in ensuring the U.S. Navy remains the premier warfighting force – ready, capable, and unmatched. (U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Ray McCann / RELEASED)
Navy

Navy stands up its first information warfare squadron

The new squadron, part of a pilot program, is meant to create a streamlined information and electronics warfare unit out of "disparate" elements, to support a carrier strike group.

Image: NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. - (Dec. 1, 2025) – Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) departed Naval Station Mayport for a scheduled deployment, Dec. 1. USS Thomas Hudner is a multi-mission guided-missile destroyer capable of air warfare (AW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), naval surface fire support (NSFS), and surface warfare (SUW). (U.S.
Navy

Navy destroyer that joined fight against Houthis, Iran, arrives in Caribbean

The USS Thomas Hudner is the latest warship to arrive in the region as airstrikes on suspected drug boats continue.

A U.S. Army Soldier assigned to 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, drives to a firing lane to zero an M1A2 Abrams Tank at Dona Ana Range Complex, New Mexico, Nov. 17, 2025. The event was part of the Iron Heroes Competition, designed to identify the best individuals and teams in the 1st Armored Division to compete at higher Army echelon competitions. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerron Bruce)
Tanks

We salute the soldiers who named their tank ‘Executioners Finest’

Tankers love to come up with fun names for their tanks. This one joins the collection of great names.

Marines with Delta Company, 1st Marine Training Battalion, march to the Peatross Parade Deck in their Dress Blues aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC, Dec. 2, 2022. The Marines have spent the last 13 weeks learning close-order drill, marksmanship, martial arts, and Marine Corp traditions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Blake Gonter)
Culture

Marines reinstate photos in some review boards, but not for promotions

The policy reverses a 2020 Pentagon ban on photos in selection boards, which researchers believe can add bias to the process.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Warner, left, and U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Christian Eichelberger, both with 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), monitor the southern border near Nogales, Ariz., Sept. 17, 2025. JTF-SB executes full-scale, agile, and all-domain operations in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to protect the territorial integrity of the United States and achieve 100% operational control of the southern border. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Sean Hoch)
Army

In major restructure, Army stands up new Western Hemisphere Command

The new command combines Army North, Army South, and Forces Command under the leadership of a single four-star general.

The Medal of Honor.
Military Awards

Under new law, Medal of Honor recipients will receive $67,500 annual stipend

The legislation roughly quadruples the special pension for living recipients of the highest military award.

A new bill requires VA doctors to inform veterans about the risks and side effects of drugs they are prescribed for mental health reasons.
News

Vets say psychiatric drug risks are often overlooked. A new law could change that.

The legislation comes amid a broader movement from veterans rallying against “overprescription” of psychiatric drugs and calls for enhanced patient safety.

World War II veteran Charles Norman Shay, a Penobscot Native American, who took part in the Operation Overlord (Battle of Normandy) during the D-Day on June 6, 1944, poses on May 4, 2019 in Omaha Beach, western France. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP) (Photo credit should read LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
Army

D-Day vet who moved to Normandy in final years dies at 101

Charles Norman Shay earned a Silver Star on Omaha Beach. He is thought to be the last of roughly 500 Native American soldiers who fought on D-Day.

The superstructure of the aircraft carrier the USS Harry S. Truman, with a combat action ribbon banner.
Navy

USS Harry S Truman collision was nearly ‘catastrophic,’ investigation finds

A merchant ship would have "likely pierced" a berthing compartment with 120 sleeping sailors had the impact been 100 feet forward.

241231-N-TN409-1156 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Dec. 31, 2024) Two U.S. Navy pilots in an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, prepare for launch from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)
Navy

Navy cruiser mistook fighter jets for incoming missiles during chaotic night

Three F/A-18 Super Hornets from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman were destroyed in mishaps during a combat-heavy deployment to the Red Sea.

The USS Gravely, a US Navy warship, departs the Port of Port of Spain on October 30, 2025. The US warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on October 26, 2025, for joint exercises near the coast of Venezuela, as Washington ratcheted up pressure on drug traffickers and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP via Getty Images)
Americas

62% of Americans support military action against suspected drug traffickers, survey finds

More than half of the respondents strongly or somewhat approved of using military force to take on possible drug traffickers.

Memorial tattoos.
Culture

How military families remember the fallen with tattoos

From recreated handwriting to portraits and landscapes to tiny birthmarks, tattoos preserve memories of the lost.

UH-60 Blackhawk Pilots and Crew Chiefs of the 126th Aviation Regiment, Maine Army National Guard, conduct training flights and tasks during November Annual Training in Bangor, Maine. The 126th Aviation Regiment is the only MEDEVAC support unit in the state and helps organizations from the Warden Service to The National Park Service with search and rescue operations. (U.S. Army Photo By W1 Patrik Orcutt)
Army

Army pilots face low morale and ‘survivor remorse’ amid massive cuts

One pilot said "it feels like we are designing a force that looks like Ukraine with drones and robots, forgetting that our primary thing is maneuver. We do that very well."

Marine Corps Commandant’s Cover
Marine Corps

This is why the top Marine general doesn’t wear the commandant’s cover

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith requested a waiver from the Marine Corps Uniform Board to not wear the commandant’s official cover.

China's aircraft carriers
Carriers

China’s navy flexes muscles with new flattops

Steven Price testifies at the Texas House of Representatives this year, and a photo from his time stationed in Panama in the early 1980s.
Veterans

A veteran’s service in Panama isn’t covered by the VA. There are hundreds like him.

Hundreds of U.S. troops have been denied VA claims linked to 1980s duty in Panama amid toxic chemicals and Agent Orange remnants.

Description: circa April-May 1923 The destroyers are, from left to right: USS Pruitt (DD-347) USS Stewart (DD-224) USS Preble (DD-345) USS Hulbert (DD-342) and USS William B. Preston (DD-344). The Japan-China Steamship Company (N.K.K. Nisshin Kisen Kaisha) docks are in the foreground, with a river steamer alongside in the center and an ocean-going freighter at right. Many local small craft are also present. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1969. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
History

The Navy’s original island hopping strategy

In the years between World War I and II, the U.S. military had ambitious and prescient ideas for war in the Pacific.

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Christian F. Wortman, commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force, left, and Lance Cpl. Elijah Merino, a grenadier with 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, repair a wall locker during Operation Clean Sweep III at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 16, 2025. OCS 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. Wortman is a native of Pennsylvania and Merino is a native of California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Bryant Rodriguez)
Housing

Pentagon pledges $400 million for ‘immediate’ barracks renovation

Another $800 million is being directed towards "critical" repairs in military housing.

U.S. Space Force trainees receive their initial issue of the new USSF Service Dress uniform during a fitting at clothing issue at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Nov. 19, 2025. This group is the first class of USSF BMT trainees to be issued this specific dress uniform, which they will wear for the first time during their graduation ceremony on Dec. 18, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Daniel Cruz)
Military Life

Space Force trainees will get the service’s new dress uniform

The new formal wear will be widely available in 2026. The current class of Space Force trainees will be the first to graduate with the uniforms.