Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 26)

A T-6A Texan II taxis on the runway at Sheppard Air Force Base in 2019.
Air Force

Tangled straps likely caused Air Force instructor pilot’s death, report finds

An Air Force report found that Capt. John Robertson's death on May 13, 2024 likely came from not being properly strapped into his T-6A when his ejection seat accidentally triggered.

California National Guard firefighters work on a burned part of Palisades, California on Jan. 20, 2025.
National Guard

California National Guard firefighting crews understaffed due to LA deployment

At least 60% of the California National Guard’s firefighting teams were pulled under federal command, with no way to recall them, as fire season continues.

A Soldier assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade uses a single-blade razor to shave his face during a shaving clinic May 22 at the brigade's organizational classroom.
Military Life

Medical shaving waivers could soon get you kicked out of the Army

Forthcoming revisions to grooming standards would do away with permanent shaving waivers, which could largely impact Black soldiers.

The 354th Fighter Generation Squadron poses for a group photo for the final time at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., June 24, 2024. The 354th FGS maintained A-10C aircraft to conduct close air support, forward air control, airborne, and combat search and rescue for theater commanders worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Finn V)
Air Force

The last A-10 in the Air Force will make its final flight next year

The service moved up its retirement of its final 162 close attack fighters by two years in a new budget request. The Air Force also asked for far fewer F-35s.

The John Lewis-class replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206) conducts a replenishment at sea with the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), December 13, 2024. Gerald R. Ford is the flagship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. USS Gerald R. Ford is currently underway in the Atlantic Ocean to further develop core unit capabilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Maxwell Orlosky)
Navy

USNS Harvey Milk renamed for Navy Medal of Honor recipient

The name of Navy Medal of Honor recipient Oscar Verner Peterson, who gave his life to save his ship in World War II, will replace Harvey Milk, a gay civil rights activist.

Amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA- 7) , departs Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., April 7, 2022. Tripoli completed flight deck operations with 20 F-35B Lightning II jets from Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 211 and 225, Marine Aircraft Group 13, and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, as well as Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, as part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Lightning carrier concept demonstration. The Lightning carrier concept demonstration shows Tripoli and other amphibious assault ships are capable of operating as dedicated fixed-wing strike platforms when needed, capable of bringing fifth generation Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing aircraft wherever they are required. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Samuel Ruiz)
Amphibious Operations

Lightning Carriers: The Marines’ secret weapon in the Pacific

The Marine Corps is turning the Navy’s amphibious assault ships into small and agile carriers loaded with F-35B Lightning II aircraft in preparation for a fight in the Pacific.

B-2 Spirit
Iran

Leaked intel on Iran’s nuclear facilities came from report on whether to strike targets again

A Defense Intelligence Agency assessment of U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear sites was a “restrike report” on whether targets need to be hit again.

Trauma surgeons and nurses attached to the 8th Forward Resuscitation Surgical Team, 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support), perform surgery on a simulated casualty during a field training exercise on Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, February 27, 2020. The Defense Health Agency’s Operational Medical Systems Program Management Office has a robust blood products portfolio focused on far-forward, austere environments. OPMED PMO’s Cryopreserved Platelet program commercial partner recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration “Fast Track” designation for its CPP treatment protocol, which is being developed for use when conventional platelets are not available or are in short supply. The designation, granted under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, is designed to expedite the development and review of drugs that address serious conditions and have the potential to fill an unmet medical need. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Duval/Caption by OPMED Strategic Communications)
News

Military doctors say they’re not getting enough hands-on experience for combat care

In a Department of Defense Inspector General Report, military medical personnel interviewed said they don’t feel qualified to care for troops on the battlefield due to a lack of hands-on experience.

Alejandro Barranco
Marine Corps

Father of 3 Marines who was arrested by immigration agents raised his sons ‘to serve our country’

Narciso Barranco’s three sons all joined the Marine Corps. On June 21, he was arrested by Border Patrol agents in California. He is currently in custody.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy A. George administers the Oath of Office to four new U.S. Army Lt. Cols. during a Detachment 201: The Army’s Executive Innovation Corps (EIC) commissioning ceremony in Conmy Hall, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., June 13, 2025. The Army’s EIC is an initiative that places top tech executives into uniformed service within the Army Reserve. (U.S. Army photo by Leroy Council)
Army

The Army launched a website so tech bros can sign up to serve

The site aims to recruit more tech experts, in addition to four executives from top tech firms like Palantir and Meta who were commissioned into the Army Reserve earlier this month.

Sadr City
Middle East

US, Iran move out of ‘shadow war’ but threat from proxy militias may remain

Iran has built a vast network of proxy forces throughout the Middle East that have attacked U.S. troops in the region for decades.

Marine AV-8B Harrier
Marine Corps

‘War Thunder’ continues to live up to its reputation for OPSEC violations

On June 21, sensitive information from the flight manual for the AV-8B Harrier and its two-seat trainer, the TAV-8B, was posted on a “War Thunder” forum.

Last Battle of the Pacific

‘Frog Fathers’ — the birth of the Navy SEALs and how the Battle of Okinawa shaped them

A group of special operations vets retrace the Battle of Okinawa, following in the footsteps of the forefathers of today’s Navy SEALs.

Soldiers from the 143rd Military Police Company, 49th Military Police Brigade, California National Guard, serving under Title 10 status, establish a security perimeter in Mecca, Calif., June 18, 2025. 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. Chase Murray)
National Guard

Guardsmen sent to LA are 130 miles east of the city doing drug busts

National Guard troops federalized for operations in greater Los Angeles recently aided the DEA in the eastern Coachella Valley.

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Caige Chapman, 81st Operational Medical Readiness Squadron independent duty medical technician, participates in memorial push ups during Warrior Day on Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, Nov 8, 2024. Memorial push-ups are a tradition within the special tactics community to honor fallen service members. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Trenten Walters)
Air Force

The Air Force fitness test may soon include 2-mile runs twice a year

Airmen may soon run two miles rather than 1.5 under new fitness standards, and be tested twice per year, according to a note from the service's top enlisted troop.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Trevor Williams, 912th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron pilot, reviews maintenance records with Airman 1st Class Zander Rafter, 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (EAMXS) crew chief, and Elijah Wade, 379th EAMXS aircraft electrical and environmental systems specialist, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, June 19, 2023. The KC-135 Stratotanker provides an aerial refueling capability in support of joint and coalition aircraft throughout the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jacob Cabanero)
Iran

Iran launches missile attack at US military base in Qatar

Missiles from Iran were launched at a U.S. military base in Qatar on Monday following American air and missile strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.

A black and white image showing American landing craft reaching the beaches of Okinawa in 1945.
World War II

US, Japan mark 80 years since the end of the Battle of Okinawa

Eight decades ago, the Allies claimed victory in the bloodiest battle in the Pacific Theater.

Satellite imagery showing the aftermath of US strikes on the Fordow nuclear enrichment site in Iran on June 22, 2025.
Air Force

Operation Midnight Hammer damaged, but may not have destroyed Iran’s nuclear sites

Despite the use of heavy munitions, initial assessment suggests the facilities weren’t fully taken out.

A B-2 Spirit from the 509th Bomb Wing, 13th Bomb Squadron Whiteman Air Force Base, Miss., prepares to be refueled by a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind. during a nighttime aerial refueling mission over Southern Kansas, Oct. 21, 2015. The KC-135 has a system of exterior lights located on the belly of the aircraft, just behind the nose gear, and flood lights on the boom pod used to pass fuel to the receiver aircraft during low-light conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Mota)
Air Force

Pentagon releases details of ‘Midnight Hammer’ strikes against Iran

B-2 bombers were among 125 aircraft involved in strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities as part of “Operation Midnight Hammer.”

U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 110th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron conduct hot pit refueling on a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber during a Bomber Task Force mission at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, Aug. 21, 2024. Bomber missions enhance the U.S. Air Force’s readiness to respond to any potential crisis or challenge in the Indo-Pacific through joint and multilateral operations. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Erhart)
News

US bombs Iranian nuclear facilities

"We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan," President Donald Trump posted on social media on Saturday.