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

Screenshot of aerial footage showing a small boat moving through the sea.
Americas

Trump says US military hit a third boat in the Caribbean

The attack, which killed three people, comes four days after the military hit another vessel accused of transporting drugs.

U.S. Army Infantrymen, assigned to 10th Mountain Division, Task Force ARMADILLO, oversee M240B machine gun training in Syria, June 2, 2025. Night range operations provide a tactical advantage over adversaries, enhancing operational and soldier readiness. The Coalition is committed to building partner capacity and capabilities in order to maintain the lasting defeat of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Trenton Pallone)
Iraq

US forces kill ISIS commander in charge of international attacks

American and Iraqi forces took out an ISIS leader responsible for the 2013 Lebanon bombing in the latest strike on the senior members inside Syria.

A U.S. Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) conducts a low-level flight during Exercise Balikatan 25 over the Philippine Sea, April 25, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen our ironclad alliance, improve our capable combined force, and demonstrate our commitment to regional security and stability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ty Pilgrim)
Army

4 special operations soldiers believed to be dead after Black Hawk crash

The helicopter went down at approximately 9 p.m. on Wednesday in a rural area near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

F-35 drug missions
Marine Corps

Why does the US have F-35s flying anti-cartel missions in the Caribbean?

F-35 fighters are designed to fight a high-tech war against a near-peer adversary. The US military is using them to combat drug smugglers.

241102-N-AB116-7104 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Nov. 2, 2024) Vice Adm. George Wikoff, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet, speaks to Sailors while touring the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). (Official U.S. Navy photo)
Navy

Admiral who led Red Sea fight tapped to head Navy’s European operations

A former fighter pilot and TOPGUN instructor, Vice Adm. George Wikoff commanded the 5th Fleet during more than a year of combat against Houthi forces. 

Warrant Officer 1 Alan Ortiz, a UH-60 Blackhawk pilot assigned to 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, trains in a flight simulator at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, August 25, 2025. The flight simulator is a tool that creates realistic scenarios to practice complex maneuvers and emergency procedures safely. (U.S Army photo by Sgt. Olivia Cowart)
Army

Army cutting 6,500 aviation jobs as it moves toward drones

The service will hold "talent panels" to retain aviation officers and warrant officers as pilots or to reassign them to other roles in the Army.

A US Air Force C-17 heavy lifter takes off from Bagram AirBase, in the Parwan province some 50kms north of Kabul, on August 10, 2009. The top US military commander in Afghanistan says the Taliban have gained the upper hand in the country, forcing the United States to change its strategy by increasing the number of troops in heavily populated areas, The Wall Street Journal reported. AFP PHOTO/ MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP) (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images)
News

Trump says US wants Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan back

“We’re trying to get it back, because they need things from us,” President Donald Trump said in London on Thursday.

Students of Martial Arts Instructor Course 2-14 grapple against each other during their final exercise on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, April 17, 2014.
Marine Corps

Marines are fighting over who gets to rebuild Tun Tavern

Marine veteran Monty Dahm has filed a lawsuit against The Tun Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization, over its competing Tun Tavern project.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 2: Members of the National Guard are seen standing near the Washington Monument, on September 02, 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)WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 2: XXX while patrolling the National Mall, on September 02, 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

National Guard seeks vendors to feed troops in DC through January

The “market research" notice was posted to a federal website for contracting opportunities with private companies. Guard officials say the notice does not confirm a longer deployment.

Charlie Kirk
News

At least 8 troops punished for social media comments about Charlie Kirk’s death

Roughly half a dozen service members are facing possible repercussions for allegedly making disrespectful comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death.

A member of the National Guard takes a photograph of a woman standing against military equipment as the National Guard patrols outside of Union Station in Washington, DC, August 21, 2025. President Donald Trump said he plans to patrol Washington's streets on Thursday with troops he deployed to the US capital in a show of force against what he claims is a "crime emergency." Trump ordered hundreds of National Guard to deploy in Washington last week vowing to "take our capital back," despite protests by some residents and statistics showing violent offenses falling. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
Culture

Guard troops in DC are facing the wrath of the TikTok generation

The social media content coming out of D.C. ranges from Vietnam-era political propaganda to pop-culture parodies and influencers using troops as the butt of jokes.

A Typhon missile battery is displayed.
Missiles

The Army’s Typhon missile system is in Japan

With the Typhon, the Army has the kind of long-range anti-ship capability typically reserved for the Navy.

DoD Venezuela boat
Navy

Trump says US military struck a second boat in Caribbean linked to ‘cartels’

The strike is the second in two weeks by U.S. forces, which have surged ships, troops and planes into the southern Caribbean near Venezuela over the last month.

Pentagon Shaving Policy
Active Duty

Troops with medical shaving exemptions face separation

Under new rules, troops who need medical exemptions for shaving have a year to get treatment before they will be forced out of service.

Sgt. Ryan Meglio fastens the belt on his Army Green Service Uniform before his squad board at the Best Squad Competition in August 2024, at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Army

Army rolls out uniform changes and allows phone belts with PT gear 

Commanders will decide whether soldiers can wear runner’s belts to hold phones and keys during physical training.

Ross Elder sits inside the cockpit of a fighter plane.
Air Force

A-10 combat pilot prepares for 378-day NASA Mars simulation

Air Force Maj. Ross Elder has got “The Martian” loaded on his Kindle for his upcoming NASA mission simulating living on Mars for more than a year.

Specialist Rosealina Ortiz (left) assists Specialist Oscarina Pepen (right) with her hair following live fire training. CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada, August 9, 2022. In 2021 the Army released updated female grooming standards which are more inclusive of various natural hair styles. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. David Connors)
Army

Army grooming standards and hairstyles get more strict under new orders

The Army has tightened hair regulations for men and women and emphasized “natural” grooming standards for makeup, nails and jewelry.

The General train, on display in Georgia.
Past Conflicts

A new ‘Great Locomotive Chase’ will bring real Medal of Honor recipients along for the ride

Nearly 20 Medal of Honor recipients will ride a train to retrace the Civil War heist-turned-chase that resulted in the Medal's first awards.

Families move into a private military housing home.
Housing

Military family housing understaffed, lacks proper oversight, IG report finds

A review of seven different bases found a lack of guidance, understaffed teams and several health and safety risks at military family housing.

U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (March 31, 2025) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) displays its battle flag in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)
Navy

Venezuela says US Navy raided a fishing boat in its waters

Military personnel from the USS Jason Dunham interdicted a Venezuelan boat on Friday, the first apparent search by the large Navy force in the region