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

A Combined Action Program Marine and a Navy corpsman using diesel fuel to burn the human waste from Combined Action unit Papa Three's outhouse in Cam Hieu village, Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, on September 20, 1967. (Photo by Ed Palm Photo/Getty Images)
Benefits & Pay

Federal watchdog calls out lack of research on burn pits in Vietnam

A federal watchdog report found that despite evidence of open-air burning in Vietnam, there hasn’t been much research into the health effects veterans face.

Secretary of the Army, Hon. Daniel P. Driscoll pins a medal on a Soldier recognized for valor during the Aug. 6 active shooter incident at Fort Stewart, Aug. 7, 2025. Multiple Soldiers tackled and subdued the assailant, minimizing casualties. (U.S. Army photo Sgt. Bernabe Lopez)
Army

Soldiers who stopped Fort Stewart gunman recognized as ‘the best among us in the Army’

“They acted in a way that I think all of us hoped we would under fire, but they did,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said.

Army drill sergeants participate in a “shark attack” as trainees arrive on the first day of Basic Combat Training on June 12, 2017.
Army

‘Shark attacks’ may be coming back to Army Basic Training

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is looking into reinstating the practice of Army drill sergeants swarming and screaming at trainees.

Soldiers tackled shooter who wounded 5 at  Fort Stewart, Georgia
Army

Soldiers tackled shooter who wounded 5 at Fort Stewart, Georgia

Base officials said Quornelius Radford, 28, a sergeant in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, shot five people in the brigade's duty area before he was tackled by other soldiers.

Marines in Afghanistan
News

Pentagon briefly republished Afghanistan photos pulled after withdrawal

A defense spokesperson confirmed that about 1,400 images from Afghanistan had been “unintentionally" reposted and then removed. The photos were pulled in 2021 to protect Afghan allies.

The Navy, in partnership with Skydweller Aero, recently achieved continuous solar-powered unmanned flight during a nonstop three-day test from Stennis, Mississippi. Led by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), the test of Skydweller UAS marks a significant advancement in both long-endurance solar-powered UAS technology and its potential to enhance maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).
Drones

The Navy flew a solar-powered drone for 73 hours straight

In all, the Skydweller flew 220 hours, including one 73-hour flight. Built for long-duration surveillance, engineers think it could be in the air longer on solar power alone.

Army Training
Army

Army infantry training unit reverses ‘bay tossing’ ban

The commander of an infantry One Station Unit Training brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia, directed drill sergeants to stop using “bay tossing” with trainees, but the move was quickly rescinded.

DEIR EZ-ZOR, SYRIA - AUGUST 13: Military vehicles that the US military sent as a reinforcement, convoy to the bases controlled by PKK/YPG (PKK listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the U.S. and the EU and YPG which Turkiye consider as the extension of PKK in Syria) in Deir ez-Zor province in Syria, on August 13, 2023. (Photo by Omer Al Diri/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Middle East

US leaves Syrian base where American troops fought Wagner mercenaries

American forces pulled out of the “Conoco Fields” base in Deir ez-Zor base in May, after holding it for years amid repeated attacks.

Kyle Carpenter Ship
Marine Corps

Navy destroyer named for Marine Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter

“In 2010, Cpl. Carpenter went above and beyond the call of duty to shield a fellow Marine from a grenade blast in Afghanistan,” said Navy Secretary John Phelan.

U.S. Army Capt. Walton Brown (left), chaplain with 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, in support of Task Force Iron, marches alongside NATO Multinational Battle Group Poland soldiers during a Memorial Day ruck march at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, May 26, 2025. U.S. soldiers joined service members from Romania, the United Kingdom, and Croatia to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in their countries’ armed forces. Task Force Iron’s mission is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent to increase lethality while strengthening partnerships with NATO allies and regional security partners. The task force provides combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s only forward-deployed corps in Europe.
Army

Army launches its own ‘Spiritual Fitness Guide’ 

The new guide, along with a "battlebook," are meant to help soldiers’ resilience and readiness.

Drones
Drones

How far does the US military have to go to catch up on drones?

The Defense Department is just now trying to play catchup to Ukraine and Israel in using small drones on the battlefield, but it has its work cut for it.

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Maxwell Carson, 49th Security Forces Squadron response force member, fires an M18 pistol during the Special Reactions Team tryout competition at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, May 22, 2025. The timed shooting portion of the tryout adds stress while requiring strict accuracy standards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Elijah Strickland)
Air Force

Air Force enacts service-wide inspections of M18 pistols

The safety inspections come after Air Force Global Strike Command ordered a pause in the use of the pistols.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Launch/ Recovery Equipment) Airman Jose Antonio Rivera Lynch IV
Navy

Navy identifies USS George Washington sailor lost at sea

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Launch/ Recovery Equipment) Airman Jose Antonio Rivera Lynch IV was declared dead after a 45-hour search in the Timor Sea.

An Air Force A-10 Warthog heads to the 309 Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
Air Force

Air Force security kills driver who attempted to breach base

An erratic car crashed into the main gate at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, prompting base security to open fire.

A flight of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft sit for a weapons check prior to takeoff at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, July 28, 2025. As part of the Super Squadron Test Phase II, pilots and F-16s will be temporarily relocated to Osan Air Base aiming to consolidate air power and increase combat capability on the Korean Peninsula. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Landon Gunsauls)
Air Force

Air Force creates a second ‘super squadron’ in South Korea

31 F-16s will shift to Osan Air Base in the second phase of the Air Force’s experiment with supersized fighter units. 

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 24: Admiral Daryl Caudle, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Chief of Naval Operations, testifies during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on July 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. If confirmed, Caudle will be taking over for Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first female to serve in that position, after President Trump abruptly fired her as part of a series of high level staff changes at the Department of Defense personnel. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Navy

Submariner confirmed as new chief of naval operations

Adm. Daryl Caudle takes over the role, which has been empty since Adm. Lisa Franchetti was removed from the position in February.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Mark H. Landes, Commanding General, First Army Division East, helps the family of Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Lambert, Deputy Commander – Maneuver for the 3rd Infantry Division, pin his new rank on during a promotion ceremony at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Sept. 2, 2022. The deputy commanding general-maneuver advises and assists the commanding general for the division's training and operational readiness. Lambert is a United States Army War College graduate and has deployed to Haiti, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Dre Stout)
Army

Army will review selection boards that choose leaders for command

The Command Assessment Program, or CAP, uses formal review boards to select soldiers for command positions. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll ordered a review of the program.

Ranger transits the Pacific Ocean during Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 23.2, Sep. 15, 2023.
Ships

Robot warships are here. Now the Navy needs to figure out how to use them.

From DARPA prototypes to the fully uncrewed USX-1 Defiant, the Navy is testing how far it can go without sailors aboard.

Army Tank Top 2025
Culture

No, the Army is not introducing a new ‘tank top’ PT uniform

When the Army’s vice chief of staff wore a tank top in an Army video, soldiers thought it was a vision of their fitness future. But the service is not issuing tank tops for the PT uniforms.

Cpl. Darrell Reynolds, the fiscal chief with 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, low crawls during the maneuver under fire portion of the Combat Fitness Test at Marine Corps Support Facility New Orleans, Dec. 14, 2018. The CFT is an annual fitness assessment comprised of a simulated movement to contact, which is an 880-meter sprint; 2 minutes of 30-pound ammo can lifts, and a maneuver under fire, which is a timed 300-yard shuttle run of combat-related tasks. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tessa D. Watts)
Marine Corps

The Marine Corps is looking for ‘volunteers’ to leave the service early

EAS baby, you can't stop time.