Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 32)

A helicopter carries a bucket over a desert terrain.
Army

US Army soldier found dead in Honduras

1st Lt. Marciano Parisano was assigned to 1st Battalion, 228 Aviation Regiment.

Soldiers in uniform carrying rifles move out of a building. One jumps out of a window in the back while one holds a rifle facing the camera.
Army

Hegseth orders consolidation and transformation of the Army

Drone swarm integration, a right to repair and increased forward logistical capacity are all on the table in the new proposals.

Uniformed police and Drug Enforcement Agency agents stand outside a nightclub.
News

Fort Carson staff sergeant charged in drug trafficking sting

Staff Sergeant Juan Gabriel Orona-Rodriguez was one of 17 active-duty soldiers arrested in a raid on an illegal nightclub last weekend.

Twenty Army National Guardsmen from eight states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands took part in the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) during the Region III phase of the Best Warrior Competition (BWC), held April 21, 2025, at the South Carolina National Guard’s McCrady Training Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Hosted by the South Carolina National Guard from April 21–26, the Region III BWC 2025 is open to all enlisted National Guard Soldiers. Competitors advanced through their state to the regional competition, facing demanding military challenges designed to test their combat skills and doctrinal knowledge. On the opening day of the competition, Soldiers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and U.S. Virgin Islands completed the ACFT before moving on to knowledge boards, written essays, and public affairs interviews. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Duran Jones)
Army

Here are the Army’s new ‘sex-neutral’ fitness standards

Active duty female soldiers in combat roles will be required to run up to three minutes faster than they previously had to in the annual fitness test.

Members of the North Carolina Air National Guard assess an Army M10 Booker Combat Vehicle before it is loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, at the North Carolina Air National Guard base, Charlotte-International Airport, August 3, 2024. Portions of this photo were masked for security reasons. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Reanna Hartgrove)
Army

The Army cancels the M10 Booker, a ‘light tank’ that was too heavy

The M10 Booker was meant to be a light tank — if it was a "tank'" at all — but Army officials admitted this week "we got the Booker wrong."

Army space professionals celebrate National Space Day on May 2 to recognize how they live and work every day. Spc. Klay Walker and Spc. Alexander Best with the 4th Space Company, 1st Space Battalion, work on a Mobile Integrated Ground Suite at Fort Carson, Colorado. The 1st Space Brigade recently conducted an expeditionary maneuver of transportable systems across combatant command areas of responsibility, demonstrating to allies and partners the readiness of the brigade and its subordinate units to deploy rapidly around the globe. (U.S. Army Photo by Dottie White)
Army

The Army is adding a new enlisted MOS for space operations

Most of the Army's experts in the expanding field of space operations are officers. A new MOS for seasoned enlisted troops hopes to change that.

Defenders from the 140th Security Forces Squadron, 460th SFS, 710th SFS, and 233rd SFS prepare for low-light firing during a heavy weapons meet at the Camp Guernsey firing range, Wyoming, April 4, 2025. The meet offered defenders valuable practice on several weapon systems to enhance overall readiness. (U.S. Space Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hollis)
Space Force

Space Force Special Operations Command is on its way

The military's newest branch which was established in 2018 will get its own special operations component.

Marine barracks inspections
Marine Corps

Rooms for 4,200 Marines improved as part of barracks overhaul

The Marine Corps has refurbished 11 of its 109 barracks in the past two years as part of Barracks 2030, a $5 billion plan to improve Marines’ living conditions.

Defenders from the 22nd Security Forces Squadron prepare for night operations during Lethal Defender Dec. 2, 2023, at Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range, Kansas. Lethal Defender is a weeklong training exercise designed to train defenders on all elements of the efficient setup and maintenance of expeditionary air bases. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Lunn)
Air Force

The Army saw a drop in sexual assault reports, while other services went up

The Pentagon said that the number of sexual assault reports across the force dropped for the second year in a row, with a 13% decrease in the Army.

Capt. Tyler Mitchiner and 1st Lt. George Madden, assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment, compete as a team during the 2025 Best Sapper Competition at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., April 25, 2025. The competition challenges combat engineers to showcase tactical expertise, endurance and leadership under pressure. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Samuel Dreher
Army

Rangers take top spot at Best Sapper Competition for fourth Army-wide win this year

The victory in the annual combat engineer skills contest at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, matched wins in Army-wide sniper, MMA and Best Ranger contests for 75th Ranger Regiment teams.

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith speaks during a Relinquishment of Office ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C. on July 10, 2023. The 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David H. Berger, relinquished the office to Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith. Until a new Commandant is confirmed by the Senate and appointed to the position, Gen. Smith will be the acting Commandant, retaining the title and position of Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Kelsey Dornfeld)
Marine Corps

Commandant says Marines should have a say in whether they change duty stations

Black woman flexing muscles in garage

This is the VA benefit many veterans hadn’t planned on needing

Life comes at you fast.

An Air Force pilot adds kindling to a piano burning at Kadena Air Base, Japan, April 14, 2023. Air Force pilots held a piano burning at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia on April 25 in memory of a stunt pilot killed on the base the day before.
Air Force

Why Air Force pilots honored an air show pilot by burning a piano

The tradition of burning a piano dates at least to World War II. The ceremony honored Rob Holland, a stunt pilot who crashed at Langley Air Force Base while practicing for an airshow.

U.S. Marine Corps Raiders with 3rd Marine Raider Battalion take a break during training at Eglin Range, Fla., May 22, 2018. The 1st Special Operations Support Squadron Operations Support Joint Office coordinates two-week training programs for U.S. Army, Navy and Marine special operations forces that provides live-fire ranges and familiarizes them with Air Force Special Operations Command assets to ensure global readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joseph Pick)
Marine Corps

Marine Raiders won’t be fighting in the Arctic anytime soon, general says

Marine Raiders are currently deployed to the Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and East Africa.

Issues with soldier meal plans sent some at Fort Johnson, Louisiana in search of other options when they were turned away from the base’s only open dining hall this weekend.
Army

A meal card foul-up at Fort Johnson underscores a bigger Army problem

Signs posted to the dining hall told soldiers they would be "turned away" due to a meal plan hiccup. Those who ended up paying out of pocket will be reimbursed, the Army said.

USS Harry S. Truman F/A-18E Super Hornet
Navy

Navy Super Hornet falls overboard as USS Harry Truman makes hard turn during Houthi attack

The aircraft was being towed when the crew lost control of the Super Hornet. Both the plane and the tow tractor fell overboard.

Kuwait Ping-Pong
Army

Army reverses course on banning fun and games for soldiers in Kuwait

While the memo didn't strictly forbid “fun” it did attempt to ban dominos, cards, and video game tournaments before the Army made an about-face last week.

Car on a tow truck.
Navy

Sailor wins $7,500 settlement after his car was towed and auctioned off while deployed

Navy Lt. Jonathan Liongson was on deployment with the USS Bunker Hill in November 2022 when his car was towed in California. He was awarded the money in a settlement after the towing company ran afoul of federal law.

A group of people in camouflage uniforms, holding rifles, march down the side of a paved road.
Army

Army trainee dies during basic combat training at Fort Jackson

The Army initiated a 48-hour pause in training following the soldier’s death.

A F/A-18 Super Hornet flies in the night sky, with several stars visible behind it.
Middle East

US forces have hit more than 800 targets in Yemen since March

In the past six weeks U.S. ships and aircraft have hit dozens of targets, while Houthis have shot down seven American drones.