Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 4)

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.

A sign for Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Army

Former Army soldier pleads guilty to attempting to share military secrets

Joseph Daniel Schmidt, a former Army sergeant at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, searched for topics including "soldier defect" and "can you be extradited for treason?"

An M10 Booker undergoing testing at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds.
Army

The Army doesn’t want the M10 Booker. Do the Marines need it?

The leaders of a Marine light armored reconnaissance unit think the Corps should adopt the M10 Booker now that the Army doesn't want it.

Five U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcons assigned to the 79th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron taxi within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 29, 2025. U.S. and Coalition forces are postured to rapidly establish credible, combat-ready forces within the AOR to deter adversary threats of aggression and, if necessary, respond with effective and overwhelming force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kevin Dunkleberger)
Iran

2 aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, and multiple fighter wings gather in the Middle East

The U.S. is surging a second Navy aircraft carrier and dozens of Air Force tankers and fighters into the region as the Israel-Iran war continues.

U.S. Army Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment "Red Currahee," 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), supporting 3rd Infantry Division, conducts live-fire on an M4 Carl Gustaf weapon during exercise Silver Arrow at Camp Adazi, Latvia, Sept. 17. The training focused on AT4-CS and M4 Carl Gustaf assigned teams engaging notional targets. The 3rd Infantry Division’s mission in Europe is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward deployed corps in Europe. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. H Howey)
Army

Army to study how sniper rifle, anti-armor and artillery fire impact brain health

Army research will assess the “doses” of shock waves that certain weapons create and their long-term impacts on soldiers' health.

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron and 393rd Bomber Generation Squadron conduct hot-pit refueling for a B-2 Spirit at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, May 28, 2025. The 509th Bomb Wing and its fleet of B-2s serve as part of the U.S. Air Force's conventional and strategic combat force with the capability to project U.S. airpower anywhere around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Hastings)
The Pentagon Rundown

Congress abandoned its authority to declare war decades ago

Congress ceded the authority to make war to the executive branch after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and hasn't taken it back since.

Private Fitz Lee, in a suit and hat, poses with his Medal of Honor.
Historical Figures

An Army base will now honor a Buffalo Soldier

Fort Lee is now named for Pvt. Fitz Lee. The new namesake was a Buffalo Soldier who earned the Medal of Honor.

Pvt. Lakeith Walters from the 401st Military Police Company talks to the role-player, Spc. Keishon Trice, during a traffic stop in a training exercise for the Installation Law Enforcement Certification course June 10, 2024, at Fort Cavazos, Texas. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alexander Chatoff)
Army

The Army is deactivating police units in deep cuts to number of military cops

The Army plans to close one police brigade, four battalions and several other law enforcement-focused units. By next year, the service will have just over half the number of many military police as it did in 2007.

Royce Williams
Army

Proposed law would open the door for more troops to be awarded the Medal of Honor

The Valor Has No Expiration Act would end a requirement that veterans and service members be awarded the Medal of Honor within five years of their heroic actions.