Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 49)

a man in uniform sits in a long hallway, head in his hands
Veterans

Veteran suicides stayed at same level in 2022, despite efforts to reduce deaths

After spiking in 2021, the number of women veterans who killed themselves in 2022 dropped by nearly a quarter.

A satellite jammer sits atop a shipping container.
Tactics

Space Force to deploy new jammers to yell at enemy satellites

In space, they apparently can hear screams.

An MV-22 Osprey prepares for takeoff during integration training between Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 4 and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Oct. 28, 2020. PHIBRON-MEU Integration Exercise (PMINT) provides opportunities for Sailors and Marines to synchronize capabilities as a Navy-Marine Corps team. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Isaiah Campbell)
Navy

Ospreys cleared to fly again in Navy and Air Force after inspections

The Marine Corps stopped flying its Ospreys for four days in early December but resumed flights soon after. The airplane's transmission has caused a series of deadly crashes.

Dr. Lytle S. Adams, a dental surgeon, concoted a weapon to compete with the atomic bomb.
History

That time the US military burned down one of its own bases with a ‘bat bomb’

Wild bats with napalm, what could go wrong?

U.S. Marines with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, hike to their objective during a combat readiness evaluation at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Dec. 9, 2024. The purpose of the evaluation was to certify 2nd Bn., 1st Marines as the ground combat element for their upcoming deployment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa)
The Pentagon Rundown

Defense bill, subordinates may weigh in on officers’ promotions, drone drama and more military news

The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act is headed to the president’s desk and more military news from the past week.

Soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard complete a sunrise run during annual training at Fort Stewart. The Guardsmen are assigned to the 78th Troop Command's 110th Combat Services Support Battalion.
News

Troops are skipping mental health treatment over privacy fears, report finds

Almost 90% of service members interviewed for the RAND report indicated they would limit what they share with mental health providers because of privacy concerns.

Mortars
News

A government shutdown would mean pay delays for troops, including those in combat zones

U.S. troops, including those deployed to Syria, Iraq, Somalia and other countries, would not be paid for the duration of a government shutdown, but they’d still have to report for duty.

Capt. Rick Woolard, a Navy SEAL commander, used V40 mini-grenades during his three deployments to Vietnam.
History

These tiny, Vietnam-era mini-grenades were known as ‘Hooch Poppers’

Also known as "golf ball grenades," they were small and good for clearing rooms, but not much else.

Jasmin Moghbeli
Marine Corps

Marine astronaut says the space station is ‘luxurious’ compared to how Marines usually live

“At just over six months, I’m pretty sure it was the shortest of my deployments,” said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jasmin Moghbeli.

Ranger School students conduct a water infiltration qualification on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Nov. 3, 2024. The joint mission was a combination of testing the 7th SFG(A) new aquatic infiltration capabilities alongside standard Ranger School Water qualifications. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Hunter Garcia)
Army

Congress demands answers on low testosterone issues among special operators

A range of health issues in the special operations community caused by low testosterone, dubbed "Operator Syndrome," has drawn congressional attention.

Lt. Col. Craig Andrle, 79th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander, taxis after a combat sortie March 20, 2017 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The 79th EFS provides counterterrorism to support a successful train, advise, assist mission in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Katherine Spessa)
Afghanistan War

This pilot dropped every bomb on two different F-16s in one mission

To save a team of Rangers under fire, Lt. Col. Craig Andrle dropped all the bombs his F-16 could carry. Then he switched planes, and dropped all those bombs, too.

A US soldier rests on a tank as troops patrol oil fields near Syria's northeastern border with Turkey in the Qahtaniyah countryside in the far northeast corner of Hasakeh province on September 3, 2024. The United States has around 900 troops in Syria that are part of an anti-jihadist coalition and also have forces protecting the Conoco gas field and Al-Omar oil fields in east of the country. (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Commentary

What is going on in Syria and what the hell does it mean for US troops?

U.S. forces in the region continue to find themselves stuck between groups with competing interests, all of whom are likely to seek advantages in the Assad regime’s fall.

Tom Cruise wearing his iconic Ray-Ban 3025 aviator sunglasses in 'Top Gun: Maverick'
Navy

Navy thanks Tom Cruise for his service in ‘Top Gun’ movies

Tom Cruise received the Distinguished Public Service award from Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on Tuesday.

Los Angeles, CA - November 26: Travelers make their way to LAX as large crowds travel for the Thanksgiving holiday at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Benefits & Pay

Soldiers can now get $2,000 if they travel for a family emergency

The new policy from the Army Emergency Relief nonprofit gives soldiers and their families traveling for emergencies up to $2,000 for domestic and $4,000 for international travel assistance.

U.S. Marine Corps. Col. Matthew Danner, front, the commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, addresses his Marines during a formation on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, May 9, 2024. Danner and Sgt. Maj. Charles Peoples, the sergeant major of the 31st MEU, led the weekly formation for a final time, in advance of a change of command. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Peter J. Eilen)
Air Force

Opinions of lower-ranking troops could soon be considered in officer promotions

The pilot would include anonymous peer and subordinate feedback to be submitted as part of command selection for O-5 and O-6 ranks.

A U.S. Air Force F-16C displays the new “Jersey Jerk” in honor of retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Donald Strait. U.S.
Air Force

New Jersey Air Guard names an F-16 “Jersey Jerk” to honor World War II ace

The plane honors Maj. Gen. Donald Strait, a World War II ace and Silver Star recipient. But he called himself the "Jersey Jerk."

Airmen assigned to the 124th Air Support Operations Squadron train with A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, assigned to the 190th Fighter Squadron, during a night close air support training mission at the Saylor Creek Range near Bruneau, Idaho on Sept. 25, 2018. The training started right before sunset and went well into the night, providing essential training to both the pilots and ASOS tactical air control party Airmen. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Joshua C. Allmaras)
News

Veterans benefits are a cost of war that America is honor-bound to pay, a top veterans group says

“If our government wants to continue to send us to war, they need to consider the cost of the long-term, back-end impacts of combat,” said American Legion’s executive director of government affairs.

Soldiers in a street fire their weapons, the center soldier's muzzle flash filling the view.
Entertainment

First ‘Warfare’ trailer paints a harrowing picture of Iraq War combat

Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s ‘Civil War’ follow-up, based on real events, follows Navy SEALs under siege.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet takes off at night, with a bright exhaust.
Middle East

Carrier Air Wing 9 flew hundreds of combat sorties while fighting Houthis

New details shared by the Navy point to a high operations tempo for the nine fighter squadrons in the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.

A World War II reenactor marches through the Ardennes Forest on Dec. 14, 2024.
World War II

Soldiers, reenactors, mark 80 years since the Battle of the Bulge

Troops, along with heads of state and other dignitaries, paid tribute to the thousands wounded or killed in Belgium and Luxembourg resisting the German counteroffensive during World War II.