Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 43)

U.S. Army E3 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense soldiers and deployed Bomber Task Force U.S. Airmen, pose for a photo in front of a THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system during a U.S. Army led tour on North West Field at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 12, 2021. The THAAD mission is to protect the homeland, deployed military forces, friends, and allies from short, medium, and intermediate range ballistic missiles. The BTF was deployed to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility to meet Pacific Air Forces training objectives. PACAF in coordination with other components, allies, and partners, provides USINDOPACOM with continuous unrivaled air, space, and cyberspace capabilities to ensure regional stability and security. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Louis Vega Jr.)
Indo-Pacific

Report: No clear strategy for maintaining Guam missile defense

The U.S. military has a plan to build a 360 degree missile defense shield around Guam, but hasn't completed a deployment schedule for it, the GAO found.

A howitzer sits on the foreground while a mushroom cloud detonates in the background.
History

When the Army tried out nuclear artillery

The Upshot-Knothole Grable test was the only time a cannon actually fired a nuclear round, but the test won over the military on the concept.

A reconstructed image of a submarine against the dark of the ocean floor.
World War I

Expedition captures the first ever images of the wreck of a World War I submarine

The USS F-1 was lost in 1917 in a collision off of California, killing most of its crew.

The Pentagon's plan for an accountability review of the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, raises a question with few clear answers: Will we ever have accountability for the war itself?
Commentary

Is it possible to have ‘accountability’ for the War in Afghanistan?

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed that a review will result in “accountability” for the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. But what does that actually mean?

A crew chief assigned to the 139th Maintenance Group, Missouri Air National Guard, marshals a C-130 Hercules aircraft for takeoff at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph, Missouri, May 13, 2025. The 139th Operations Group conducted a training exercise simulating a cyberattack that denied access to the internet, GPS and phones, challenging aircrews to complete their missions without digital communication tools. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Michael Crane)
National Guard

This National Guard unit went completely analog to simulate a cyber attack

Limited comms, no internet and (thankfully) no PowerPoint slides. Just a bunch of airmen with note pads and hand signals.

Video shows men wearing military uniforms with Ranger tabs and blank adaptors firing their weapons at Crab Island, Florida, on May 16, 2025.
Army

18 Army Rangers suspended for allegedly firing blanks at Florida beach

The instructors with the 6th Ranger Training Battalion have been suspended during an investigation into whether they fired blanks in front of boaters.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Carolina Army National Guard, conduct an Integrated Training Weapons Strategy (ITWS) qualification table for the newly fielded Next Generation Squad Weapon Rifle (NGSW-R) XM7 and Next Generation Squad Weapon Automatic Rifle (NGSW-AR) XM250, during a week-long training event held at Fort Stewart, Georgia, June 20, 2024. During the first four days, the Soldiers learned about the XM7 and XM250 technical and tactical capabilities, then continued the training by firing and zeroing both weapons. The South Carolina Army National Guard is the third Army National Guard command to receive the new weapons, Following the North Carolina National Guard and the West Virginia National Guard. The 4-118th is part of the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, the “Old Hickory,” a modular heavy-brigade with headquarters in North Carolina. The “Old Hickory” is the second major command in the U.S. Army to be issued the new weapons. The XM7 and the XM250 will replace the currently issued M4 Carbine and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, respectively. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Turner Horton)
Army

Army’s next generation rifle designated M7 amid criticism over performance

The Army has designated the Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle and machine gun have been designated the M7 and M250, signifying they both meet Army performance and safety standards.

U.S Airmen assigned to the 81st Security Forces Squadron along with members of the U.S. Navy stand in formation during the Police Week Retreat Ceremony on May 15, 2025 at Keesler Air Force Base. The retreat ceremony was one of several events held by the 81st Security Forces Squadron commemorating National Police Week. National Police Week was established in 1962 as a collaborative effort to honor America’s law enforcement community and pay special recognition to those law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jon Carter)
Benefits & Pay

Bipartisan bill would nix federal taxes on military bonuses

The bill would amend federal tax codes and take away taxes paid on troops’ performance and enlistment bonuses.

U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Jackson, assigned to 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armor Division, recites the oath of enlistment in front of the Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll during a re-enlistment ceremony at Drawsko Pomorskie Combat Training Center, Poland, April 10, 2025. Driscoll administered the oath during his visit to Poland. Leaders in the area of operations gave him insight into operational planning, mission command, and oversight of the rotational forces in Europe so he could better support NATO allies and help improve interoperability (U.S. Army photo by 1st Sgt. Jacob Connor)
Army

Fewer reenlistment options for soldiers amid high Army retention

The Army pointed to its retention of 800 more soldiers than its original goal for fiscal year 2025 as a reason for the changes.

ICE agents at Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will screen visitors at 3 Marine Corps bases

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are already posted at the gates of Camp Pendleton, California, and they will also be sent to Marine Corps Base Hawaii and Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

U.S. Air Force Airmen walk away from an explosive detonation during EPIC CRAB 25 Exercise at Northwest Field, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 1, 2025. Explosive Ordnance Disposal locates, identifies and disposes of dangerous hazardous materials, improvised explosives devices and nuclear materials etc. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Adasha Williams)
Air Force

Air Force holds epic exercise to blow stuff up, calls it ‘EPIC CRAB’

EPIC CRAB 2025 involved explosive ordnance disposal technicians from the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and Republic of Singapore.

U.S. Army Spc. Anton Lane, a combat medic with specialized drone training, assigned to 5-7 Cavalry, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division inspects a Skydio X10E4TT drone prior to flight during exercise Combined Resolve 25-2 at Hohenfels, Germany on May 17, 2025. TiC is grounded in one principle: increasing the lethality of our formations by creating more agile and mobile units capable of responding to complex combat scenarios (US Army photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Fist Class Richard Hoppe, Released).
Army

The Army wants more drones, electronic warfare tech. This unit is the guinea pig.

The 3rd Infantry Division is experimenting with specialized teams that focus on drones and electronic warfare, in order to test out the Army's plan for fighting the next 'big war.'

Abbey Gate
News

Hegseth announces accountability review of Afghanistan withdrawal

The Defense Department will conduct a comprehensive review of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 “to ensure that accountability for this event is met.”

Coast Guard rescue swimmers saved a worker stuck in hardening concrete after roof collapse
Coast Guard

Coast Guard rescue swimmers saved a worker stuck in hardening concrete after roof collapse

The rescuers spent three hours extracting four workers from inside a collapsed industrial water tank who had fallen 40 feet when the structure's roof collapsed.

Army Rangers Sea Battle
Army

Army investigating whether Rangers fired weapons at public beach before ‘pirate sea battle’

Posts on social media indicate the incident took place on Friday afternoon before soldiers with the 6th Ranger Training Battalion took part in a private festival in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

19 Purple hearts lay on velvet ready to be awarded to Soldiers of the 39th Brigade Combat Team for wounds received while fighting in Iraq. The Purple Heart is the oldest and most expensive medal in the militarys arsenal of awards. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Rebekah-mae Bruns, 39th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs)
National Guard

10 New York soldiers receive Purple Heart for injuries in Tower 22 attack

Three soldiers died and dozens were wounded in the attack, many with traumatic brain injuries and concussions, when an Iranian drone destroyed a housing unit at the Jordan outpost.

Rambo
Entertainment

Nothing is over! They’re making a ‘Rambo’ origin movie

The new film will likely take audiences back to Vietnam and show the moments that made Rambo the traumatized Green Beret he became in "First Blood."

M1 Abrams
Army

The Army takes steps so its 250th birthday parade won’t destroy DC streets

Previous attempts at a military parade in the nation's capital have been met with concern that heavy Abrams tanks would tear up Washington, D.C.'s roads.

A tiltrotor aircraft flies across the plains.
Army

101st Airborne tapped as first unit to get new Black Hawk replacement

The newly designated MV-75 is meant to eventually replace the Army’s H-60 Black Hawk helicopters, including in special operations missions.

Air Force HALO jump
Air Force

Air Force surprises troops with sudden deadline for reenlistment bonuses

Airmen have until close of business on May 19 to apply for a selective retention bonus. This year’s fiscal program is ending more than four months early.