Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 423)

James N. Mattis
Marine Corps

Trump’s ‘red flags’ on Mattis included ‘controversial statements’ and alleged leniency on war crimes

President Donald Trump may have loved to call former Secretary of Defense James Mattis by his much-loathed "Mad Dog" nickname, but his own transition team had concerns regarding the former Marine general's infamous battlefield missives and his lackluster handling of alleged war crimes committed by U.S. service members

Silence from the Pentagon as the US may have pulled back from the brink of war with Iran
News

Silence from the Pentagon as the US may have pulled back from the brink of war with Iran

"Assembling reporters to hear someone read a statement without the ability to ask questions risks further damage to the Department's credibility and the military's reputation for candor and trustworthiness. Questions from the press are not something to be feared."

Trump passed on Petraeus for top White House positions over ‘red flags’ like his opposition to torture, according to leaked documents
Army

Trump passed on Petraeus for top White House positions over ‘red flags’ like his opposition to torture, according to leaked documents

Former Army Gen. David Petraeus, the former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan who resigned in disgrace as CIA director amid revelations of an extramarital affairs, was passed over by then-president-elect Donald Trump's transition team because of his criticism of torture, according to leaked vetting documents

An Air Force servicewoman and her 2 young children were found dead in a suspected Staten Island triple murder
Air Force

An Air Force servicewoman and her 2 young children were found dead in a suspected Staten Island triple murder

The bodies of a U.S. Air Force servicewoman and her two small kids were found inside their smoke-filled Staten Island home in an apparent triple murder, with her husband taken into custody Saturday while wandering the streets of Brooklyn, police said.

Several killed after pickup truck collides with a Marine motorcycle club
News

Several killed after pickup truck collides with a Marine motorcycle club

A GoFundMe campaign has already raised more than $30,000 for the victims' families.

Navy SEAL sniper testifies he fired near innocent civilian Eddie Gallagher allegedly shot moments later
Navy

Navy SEAL sniper testifies he fired near innocent civilian Eddie Gallagher allegedly shot moments later

Gallagher is accused of murdering a wounded fighter and separately firing on innocent civilians during a deployment to Mosul, Iraq in 2017. He has pleaded not guilty.

BEHOLD: Mattis’ official SecDef portrait shows him sheathing his knife hand in his pocket
Mandatory Fun

BEHOLD: Mattis’ official SecDef portrait shows him sheathing his knife hand in his pocket

God help us.

Trump announces intent to nominate Mark Esper as new Secretary of Defense
News

Trump announces intent to nominate Mark Esper as new Secretary of Defense

These are not official nominations — and as we saw with Shanahan, an intent to nominate doesn't necessarily mean a nomination is close behind.

Mark Esper faces a legal maze to become the next defense secretary
News

Mark Esper faces a legal maze to become the next defense secretary

The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 has put a number of limitations on acting secretaries, which could make things difficult for Army Secretary Mark Esper

Drones are the future. They could also earn you some serious cash
Drones

Drones are the future. They could also earn you some serious cash

Testimony reveals Navy SEAL Team 6 member blasted judge in Gallagher trial and threatened to burn down courtroom
Navy

Testimony reveals Navy SEAL Team 6 member blasted judge in Gallagher trial and threatened to burn down courtroom

Testimony in the military trial of Navy SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher earlier this week revealed that a active-duty member of the elite SEAL Team 6 had disparaged the judge overseeing the trial and said many of his colleagues in the elite unit did not care about killing civilians

Trump confirms that the US was 10 minutes away from striking Iran before he called off the attack
Iran

Trump confirms that the US was 10 minutes away from striking Iran before he called off the attack

"I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world."

Retired Green Beret to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for heroics in Afghanistan
Afghanistan War

Retired Green Beret to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for heroics in Afghanistan

"Sgt. 1st Class Hawks, without regard for his own safety dismounted from his vehicle and charged toward the enemy position on the high ground."

Navy SEAL claims he, not Eddie Gallagher, executed ISIS prisoner in Iraq
Navy

Navy SEAL claims he, not Eddie Gallagher, executed ISIS prisoner in Iraq

A Navy SEAL combat medic called as a witness in the trial of Chief Eddie Gallagher claims that it was he, not Gallagher, who was responsible for the death of the ISIS prisoner in Iraq, dealing a massive blow to the U.S. government's case against Gallagher

Oh my God, the Marines have a laser now
Marine Corps

Oh my God, the Marines have a laser now

Brace yourselves: Marine grunts now have their hands on a drone-killing laser cannon

Iran just blasted one of the US military’s most advanced drones out of the sky
Iran

Iran just blasted one of the US military’s most advanced drones out of the sky

"This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace"

This is a real slide from an Air Force brief on the real threat of incels
Air Force

This is a real slide from an Air Force brief on the real threat of incels

Personnel at Joint Base Andrews were treated to a threat brief regarding an "increase in nationwide activity" by self-described "incels."

Key witness says Eddie Gallagher stabbed wounded ISIS fighter in the neck but does not remember specifics
Navy

Key witness says Eddie Gallagher stabbed wounded ISIS fighter in the neck but does not remember specifics

Miller, considered a key witness in the trial of Chief Eddie Gallagher, testified that he saw his former platoon chief stab the wounded ISIS fighter but was unable to recall a number of details surrounding that event.

SEAL sniper: Eddie Gallagher said medics knew to take captured fighters and ‘nurse them to death’
Navy

SEAL sniper: Eddie Gallagher said medics knew to take captured fighters and ‘nurse them to death’

He also spoke at length about his experiences as a sniper in support of Iraqi security forces during clearing operations, and said he believed Gallagher had shot at innocent civilians on multiple occasions.

Fired Marine one-star general was ‘abusive, bullying, toxic, abrasive, and aggressive,’ investigation finds
Marine Corps

Fired Marine one-star general was ‘abusive, bullying, toxic, abrasive, and aggressive,’ investigation finds

Cooling disputed many of the investigations findings. He told investigators that he did not remember threatening to castrate anyone but he had talked with the staffer in question about growing up on a farm and they may have discussed castrating cattle