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

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, move to their objective outside of Utqiagvik, Alaska as part of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Training Center 24-02, Feb. 15, 2024. JPMRC 24-02, executed in Alaska with its world-class training facilities and its harsh Arctic environment, builds Soldiers and leaders into a cohesive team of skilled, tough, alert, and adaptive warriors capable of fighting and winning anywhere in the world. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Brandon Vasquez)
Europe

China, Russia continue push into Arctic as Pentagon updates strategy

The Pentagon released its 2024 Arctic Strategy, which is updated for events like war in Ukraine, and Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

A USS Eisenhower pilot became the first American woman to score air-to-air kill
Navy

A USS Eisenhower pilot became the first American woman to score air-to-air kill

The aviator, part of Strike Fighter Squadron 32, took out a Houthi drone in the Red Sea as part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group’s intercept mission.

Members of the Joint Armed Forces Honor Guard file out of the Lincoln Memorial during the Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath Ceremony in honor of President Abraham Lincoln's 210th birthday at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dana Clarke)
Opinion

Opinion: Project 2025 would slash veterans’ hard-earned benefits  

The tenants of Project 2025, written by former and possibly future Trump administration officials, would overhaul the VA at the expense of veterans.

President Joe Biden attends a 9/11 memorial at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Sept. 11, 2023. (photo courtesy the White House)
News

Biden drops out of 2024 election, remains commander-in-chief

President Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 race, but said he intends to carry out the remainder of his term.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, photographed by fellow Apollo 11 crew member Neil Armstrong. (photo courtesy NASA)
Historical Figures

55 years ago, the military pilots of Apollo 11 landed on the Moon

Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and command module pilot Michael Collins served as Navy aviators and Air Force pilots before joining NASA and flying in Apollo 11.

Pro-Trump groups fight with police at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. (photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
Around the World

Former Marine sentenced to nearly five years in prison for participating in the Jan. 6 riot

Tyler Bradley Dykes, who was discharged from the Marine Corps in 2023, previously attended the 2017 “United the Right” rally in Charlottesville.

Soldiers with 1st Special Forces Group and their families swim at American Lake at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in 2017. (photo by Sgt. Brandon Welsh/U.S. Army)
Army

Joint Base Lewis-McChord closes its beaches after soldier drowns

The beaches at American Lake are closed indefinitely while base leadership conducts a safety investigation.

Jeremiah Hammill
Air Force

Air Force colonel fired at Eglin Air Force Base 3 days before command change

Air Force Col. Jeremiah Hammill was fired as commander of the 96th Test Wing Civil Engineer Group at Eglin.

U.S. Army Alaska Aviation Task Force Soldiers assigned to Headquarters Company, 1-52 Aviation Regiment, at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, conduct Cold Weather Indoctrination Course II (CWIC) training Nov. 19, 2015. These Soldiers completed a three-mile snow shoe ruck march to their bivouac site and spent the night sleeping in Arctic 10-man tents. CWIC training is required of all Soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Alaska annually to ensure America's Arctic Warriors have the knowledge and experience to survive, train, operate, fight and win in extreme cold weather and high altitude environments. (Photos by Spc. Liliana S. Magers, U.S. Army Alaska Public Affairs.)
United States

To heat frigid Alaska base, the Army goes underground

There are seven ongoing geothermal projects at military bases across the U.S. as part of larger efforts to increase renewable energy.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9587 commander speaks to U.S. Marines and Sailors at a luncheon during Fleet Week New York on May 27, 2022. As a part of Fleet Week New York 22, the Marine-Air Ground Task Force Fleet Week New York engages in special events throughout New York City and the Tri-State area showcasing sea service technologies, future innovation and connecting with citizens. Fleet Week New York brings more than 2,000 service members from the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard offering live band performances, military vehicle and equipment displays, and other community relations projects. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Isaiah Campbell)
Veterans

What does Project 2025 mean for military veterans?

Project 2025's proposals for the VA calls for changes to veteran healthcare eligibility and disability claims.

Marines
Analysis

Project 2025’s plan for the US military

Project 2025 would reduce the number of generals while increasing the size of the Army, ban transgender service members and restore troops separated over COVID-19 vaccinations.

The San Diego sun begins to break through the clouds as sailors man the rails aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) as it departs its homeport of San Diego to support Pacific Partnership 2012 (PP12). PP12 is the seventh in a series of U.S. Pacific Fleet-sponsored humanitarian and civic assistance missions that works with and through host and partner nations, and non-governmental organizations to strengthen regional relationships and capacity to collectively respond to natural disasters in Southeast Asia and the western Pacific region.
Transition

Mental health program for ‘vulnerable’ troops fails to reach 70% of enrollees

The program automatically enrolls troops with TBIs or have sought mental health care. But follow-up calls miss more than 2 of every 3 enrolled.

Navy exonerates 256 Black sailors from deadly World War II ammo explosion
World War II

Navy exonerates 256 Black sailors from deadly World War II ammo explosion

The forgotten blast killed over 300. The 256 Black sailors who later demanded better safety measures were court-martialed

ISIS Attacks
Analysis

ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria up dramatically from 2023

ISIS militias in Iraq and Syria are on pace to double the number of their attacks from last year.

A U.S. Army Soldier assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), repairs the Trident Pier on the Gaza coast, June 7, 2024. The temporary pier, part of the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, enables the maritime delivery of international humanitarian aid to Gaza for distribution to Palestinian people in need. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mikayla Fritz)
Army

U.S. shutters Gaza floating pier project after 20 days of use

The pier was operational for 'a little more than 20 days' and helped deliver 19.4 million pounds of aid to Gaza, officials said.

HIPS heat injury
Army

Army’s wearable sensors detect early signs of severe heat injuries

The Army sees thousands of documented heat exhaustion cases and hundreds of exertional heat strokes every year, some of which turn fatal.

Dave Portnoy was rescued from his drifting boat in the Nantucket Harbor.
News

Coast Guard rescues Dave Portnoy in Nantucket Harbor

"You have to go out, but you don't have to come back," goes the Coast Guard adage. But to save Dave Portnoy, they didn't even have to go out.

Marine Pvt. Carlos Paz-Sosa 2024
Marine Corps

Marine recruit loses more than 100 pounds to graduate from boot camp

Marine Pvt. Carlos Paz-Sosa graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on July 12 after losing more than 100 pounds to start boot camp.

Virginia native Gillie Jenkins monitored nuclear tests in the Bikini Atoll. Courtesy photo.
World War II

America’s Atomic Veterans, hidden by secrets, were forgotten for 50 years

July 16 is National Atomic Veterans Day, dedicated to the thousands of troops who participated in secret nuclear testing or were POWs in Nagasaki or Hiroshima.

Trump Rally Shooting
Marine Corps

Marine veteran wounded in Trump assassination attempt

David Dutch, 57, served in the Marine Corps from 1986 to 1992 as an 0351 Infantry Assaultman.