Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 24)

Los Angeles, CA - November 26: Travelers make their way to LAX as large crowds travel for the Thanksgiving holiday at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Military Life

Soldiers can now get $2,000 if they travel for a family emergency

The new policy from the Army Emergency Relief nonprofit gives soldiers and their families traveling for emergencies up to $2,000 for domestic and $4,000 for international travel assistance.

U.S. Marine Corps. Col. Matthew Danner, front, the commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, addresses his Marines during a formation on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, May 9, 2024. Danner and Sgt. Maj. Charles Peoples, the sergeant major of the 31st MEU, led the weekly formation for a final time, in advance of a change of command. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Peter J. Eilen)
News

Opinions of lower-ranking troops could soon be considered in officer promotions

The pilot would include anonymous peer and subordinate feedback to be submitted as part of command selection for O-5 and O-6 ranks.

A U.S. Air Force F-16C displays the new “Jersey Jerk” in honor of retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Donald Strait. U.S.
News

New Jersey Air Guard names an F-16 “Jersey Jerk” to honor World War II ace

The plane honors Maj. Gen. Donald Strait, a World War II ace and Silver Star recipient. But he called himself the "Jersey Jerk."

Airmen assigned to the 124th Air Support Operations Squadron train with A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, assigned to the 190th Fighter Squadron, during a night close air support training mission at the Saylor Creek Range near Bruneau, Idaho on Sept. 25, 2018. The training started right before sunset and went well into the night, providing essential training to both the pilots and ASOS tactical air control party Airmen. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Joshua C. Allmaras)
News

Veterans benefits are a cost of war that America is honor-bound to pay, a top veterans group says

“If our government wants to continue to send us to war, they need to consider the cost of the long-term, back-end impacts of combat,” said American Legion’s executive director of government affairs.

Soldiers in a street fire their weapons, the center soldier's muzzle flash filling the view.
Culture

First ‘Warfare’ trailer paints a harrowing picture of Iraq War combat

Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s ‘Civil War’ follow-up, based on real events, follows Navy SEALs under siege.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet takes off at night, with a bright exhaust.
News

Carrier Air Wing 9 flew hundreds of combat sorties while fighting Houthis

New details shared by the Navy point to a high operations tempo for the nine fighter squadrons in the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.

A World War II reenactor marches through the Ardennes Forest on Dec. 14, 2024.
History

Soldiers, reenactors, mark 80 years since the Battle of the Bulge

Troops, along with heads of state and other dignitaries, paid tribute to the thousands wounded or killed in Belgium and Luxembourg resisting the German counteroffensive during World War II.

Seven C-130 aircraft are lined up along a runway.
News

C-130s from around the world gather for an ‘elephant walk’

Seven of the cargo planes came together on the runway at Andersen Air Force Base as part of an annual holiday humanitarian airlift.

The gate sign for Fort Liberty, home to the Army's airborne.
News

82nd Airborne soldier who deserted for 16 years pleads guilty

Sgt. Christopher Vassey entered his plea after returning to the United States and surrendering to authorities on Dec 3.

A West Point cadet marches in formation on the field of Northwest Stadium as part of the pre-game ceremonies for the 125th Army Navy football game in Landover, Md., Dec. 14, 2024 (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel Hernandez)
News

What the Army and Navy service academies look for in future officers

The top military officers for the Army and Navy’s service academies lay out what they look for in prospective students, and what they hope graduates will bring to the military.

Army Navy Game t-shirt tank 2024
Culture

Behold, West Point’s t-shirt cannon tank

“The kids always love to try to get a t-shirt, but the parents are the ones that come down and are like ‘shoot me in the stomach!’”

Navy SEAL candidates train at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) in June 2023.
News

Navy dismisses cases against SEAL commanders in ‘Hell Week’ training death

The Navy has dropped its cases against Capt. Bradley Geary and Cmdr. Erik Ramey, who had been told previously that they needed to appear before boards of inquiry.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 30: Former Seattle Seahawks player and United States Army Green Beret Nate Boyer prepares to run an American flag onto the field before the Salute to Service game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Giants at Lumen Field on October 30, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks beat the Giants 27-13. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images)

Nate Boyer, Green Beret turned NFL player, on the parallels between military service and sports

"The number one thing when you ask vets and athletes what they missed, they always say, ‘I missed the guys.'"

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, fires an M3 Carl Gustaf 8.4mm recoilless rifle while participating in a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX) at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, May 7, 2024. The CALFEX tests each Soldier’s ability to adapt to different conditions while simulating real world conditions. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Zoe Y. Tourne)
News

In Iraq and Afghanistan ‘our future was always written,’ but the next war is uncertain, says 101st commander

“In the 2001 time period we joined, kind of, we always knew what we were doing," said Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia. "Whereas now we are training for very uncertain times."

Daniel Penny
News

Vance’s guest at Army-Navy game will be Marine vet acquitted in subway choking

Marine veteran Daniel Penny will attend the Army-Navy game with Vice President-elect JD Vance and President-elect Donald Trump.

U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to 11th Airborne Division jump from a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 153, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing during a deployment for training (DFT) at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska, Dec. 6, 2024. The DFT provided VMGR-153 pilots and aircrew with unit level training that enhanced squadron combat readiness while supporting community relations in remote Alaskan regions during the holiday season. (U.S. Marine Corps photo Cpl. Anabelle Reed-O’Brien)
News

US combat experience in a fight with China, shake up at the 4-star level and more news

The Pentagon Rundown is a bit different this week, mostly because your trusted reporter within the five-sided fun house is out. Instead, let's talk about all the great stories he wrote.

Chief Master Sgt. Tiffany Zaloudek, Deputy SERE Career Field Program Manager, poses on Joint Base San Antonio-Chapman Training Annex, Texas, on Oct. 5, 2024. Zaloudek is the first female SERE Specialist to earn the rank of Chief Master Sgt. and has spent her career proving that women can be both strong and feminine. (U.S. Air Force photo by Miriam Thurber)
News

Meet the first woman to make Chief Master Sgt in the Air Force’s rugged SERE world

A recruiter tried to dissuade her from SERE because "barely any women make it." Now Tiffany Zaloudek is the job's first female chief.

Cadets stand in a cordon during the U.S. Military Academy homecoming weekend alumni wreath laying ceremony at the Thayer Monument at West Point, New York, on Oct. 19, 2024.. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alan Brutus)
News

Military academies saw drop in reports of sexual assault and harassment but rates remain high

In 2024, 783 service academy cadets and midshipmen experienced sexual assault and harassment, 31% less than two years ago. The 2024 number is the second highest on record since 2006.

Spc. Maribeth Kossman working as a ground control officer for the Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team.
News

She joined the Army at 45. Now she’s vying to be an Army Golden Knight

Spc. Maribeth Kossman joined the Army at 45 to become a Golden Knight after serving in the Navy, teaching elementary school and finding a love of skydiving in her off time.

Space Force Boot Camp
News

Space Force wants its own boot camp

Space Force recruits currently attend Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where they have their own curriculum.