Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 3)

U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, Marine Barracks Washington, The Commandant's Own, Silent Drill Platoon, Drum and Bugle Corps, Color Guard
Opinion

The secret list that’s ending military careers

Pete Hegseth has told troops "it all starts with physical fitness." But for those who use supplements to improve workouts, a little-known, hard-to-find list is ending careers.

Christmas decorations
News

Christmas truce: More troops allowed to display holiday decorations early

"We recognize the pride our residents take in their decorations and the effort involved, so we want to maximize the time they can enjoy them.”

A XM30 Bradley replacement illustration showing a concept of the vehicle.
Tanks

Inside the XM30 program: The Army’s Bradley replacement

After four decades of failed replacement attempts, the Army’s XM30 program is the closest it has come to retiring the Bradley, but challenges remain.

A U.S. Marine with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South, signals to a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II assigned to VMFA-225 at Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Nov. 6, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
Americas

What 3 former SOUTHCOM commanders say troops should know about Venezuela

Their concerns include whether U.S. troops would have a clear military objective for any looming operations against Venezuela.

Waist-up shot of a group of friends taking a selfie together in a community centre. They are all smiling with positive emotion for the camera both wearing casual clothing. The community centre is located in Seaton Deleval in the North East of England.

Serving those who served our nation

How to really say thank you to veterans this Veterans Day.

The U.S. Naval Academy released its special edition football uniform for the 2025 Army-Navy football game.
Navy

Naval Academy custom football uniform honors ‘Original 6 Frigates’

Designed for the 2025 Army-Navy football game, the special edition uniform honors the Navy's original 6 frigates, including the USS Constitution.

Drug cartels designated as terrorists
Americas

The US designated more terrorist groups in 2025 than in the last 10 years combined

The U.S. government is now leaning on the military to employ tactics and techniques it honed during the Global War on Terror to combat drug cartels.

SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND, Alaska (Sept. 11, 2022) A West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare operator conducts security utilizing a SHIELD AI Nova I drone during Operation Noble Defender. Sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning software capabilities coupled with the development of layered denial, and defeat mechanisms capable of addressing current and emerging threats are fundamental to national defense. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Alex Smedegard)
Navy

Navy SEALs want to start a 10-day school to learn drone warfare 

Special operations forces will learn the ins and outs of building, repairing and flying first-person-view drones in the 80-hour course, ending with a full field exercise.

Actor Adam Baldwin as Animal Mother, an M60-machine gunner with a platoon of Marines the City of Hue.
Entertainment

While filming ‘Full Metal Jacket,’ Matthew Modine kept a record of life on set

While playing Pvt. Joker in the iconic war film, the actor recorded life on set with a camera and journal. His work is now a traveling exhibit.

Marine Sgt. Gordon Reed as a lance corporal. After he collapsed during a PT test, family and friends said a series of mistake reduced his chances of survival.
Marine Corps

A Marine collapsed during a PT test. His family and former leadership say his death was preventable.

Gordon Reed fell in the final leg of a three-mile run. His family says Marines around him were unprepared and took him to the wrong medical facility in the vital minutes that followed.

Reaper
Marine Corps

Marines send Reaper drone unit to South China Sea

The unarmed drones were sent to the Philippines, in support of maritime security patrols over the disputed region.

Two senior men sitting and talking on porch

A Shared Mission: Humana and USAA Join Forces to Support Veterans’ Health As They Age

As more veterans enter retirement, Humana and USAA are collaborating to make healthcare simpler and more personal for those who have served.

ELWOOD, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 07: Members of the Texas National Guard stand guard at an army reserve training facility on October 07, 2025 in Elwood, Illinois. The Trump administration has been threatening for more than a month to send the guard to Illinois to address Chicago's crime problem and to support ICE and CBP during Operation Midway Blitz. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been outspoken in his opposition to the move, accusing the president of using the guardsmen as political pawns. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
National Guard

National Guard begins drawdown in Portland, Chicago

Approximately 700 National Guard troops will remain in active duty under federal control, but will return to their home states.

CARIBBEAN SEA – U.S. Marines with the Maritime Special Purpose Force, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), enter a board a U.S. Navy MH-60S Sea hHawk helicopter with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, during fast rope insertion drills while aboard the U.S. Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), IWOARG, while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Oct. 23, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Tanner Bernat)
Marine Corps

Marines begin a week of exercises miles from the Venezuelan coast

Troops from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit will be conducting nighttime training operations in Trinidad and Tobago. 

251107-N-UI581-1002 PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Pierre (LCS 38) arrives in Panama City, Fla. ahead of her commissioning ceremony on Nov. 7, 2025. Pierre is the second U.S. Navy ship to bear this name and will be the final Independence-variant LCS to be commissioned in the U.S. Navy. Pierre will be commissioned in Panama City on Nov. 15. (U.S. Navy photo by Eddie Green)
Navy

Navy commissions the USS Pierre, last Independence-class littoral combat ship

The Pierre enters service as the Navy continues to look for new roles for the troubled littoral combat ships.

The US embassy is pictured in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on August 9, 2023. (Photo by RICHARD PIERRIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Marine Corps

Marines got into a shootout with suspected gang members in Haiti

The gunfight started on Nov. 13 after suspected gang members opened fire on Marines guarding the embassy in Port-au-Prince.

dpatop - 13 September 2025, Puerto Rico, Ceiba: A Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey takes off during an exercise at the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, a former US Navy base. Puerto Rico belongs to the USA as a foreign territory, but is self-governing and is not a federal state. For many decades, there were several US military bases on the island. Photo: Kendall Torres Cortés/dpa (Photo by Kendall Torres Cortés/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Americas

The US military’s plan to revive old bases in Latin America

Deactivated bases in Panama, Puerto Rico, and potentially Ecuador are coming back to life as the U.S. military builds up forces in the region.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, places a nametag on the wall of a facility at Altus Air Force Base (AAFB), Oklahoma, Aug. 25, 2022. Aircrew members occasionally practice the tradition of adding their name tags to the walls of facilities they have visited. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kayla Christenson)
Culture

Air Force greenlights colored T-shirt and callsign name tags on Fridays

So, we're doing pieces of flair now?

B-2 combat mission
Air Force

Air Force publishes photos of B-2 bomber squadron flying ‘to conduct combat missions’

At the time the pictures were taken, the U.S. military was launching air and missile strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Walter Ising, left, and U.S. Marines with Tactical Training and Exercise Control Group, Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center pose for a photo with camouflage gear designed to enhance realism and effectiveness during Service Level Training Exercise 4-25 at MCAGCC, Twentynine Palms, California, July 21, 2025. SLTE provides integrated training across the Marine Air Ground Task Force to improve combat readiness and lethality. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Micah Thompson)
Mandatory Fun

There are 6 Marines hiding in this photo

"I need a volunte— where'd everyone go?"