Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 492)

United States

Sexual Assaults At Military Service Academies Up Nearly 50 Percent Over 2 Years, Pentagon Finds

"What we're not seeing is all of our programs, our response system that we put in place, our prevention efforts, they're not translating into the behavior change we need cadets and midshipmen to have in order to stop this."

Navy

Trump Was Right: The Navy’s ‘Digital’ Catapult Really Is An Expensive Mess

When President Donald Trump railed against the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier's electromagnetic catapult as no match for "goddamned" steam, he may have been on to something — even if he didn't know it at the time

Guns

Meet One Of The Contenders To Replace SOCOM’s M240 Machine Gun

It's lighter, but still packs a punch.

Mandatory Fun

21 Of The Most Epic Combat Beatdowns From US Military History

From shovels to bare hands and even sabers, these are the legendary tales of US troops using whatever they can to get the job done.

Army

Ex-Special Forces Officer Sentenced To 10 Years For Abuse, Child Endangerment

He was accused of choking his wife while she was holding a child

News

The Army Won’t Say If Afghan Forces Can Handle A US Withdrawal Yet

"I would certainly hesitate to use the word 'dramatic' improvement."

Fighter Aircraft

The Pentagon’s Latest Assessment Of The F-35 Is In, And It Ain’t Pretty

The egregiously expensive and notoriously unreliable F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are even more of a disappointment than you previously thought, according to a new Department of Defense assessment obtained by Bloomberg News

Veterans

These Veterans Charities Aren’t Real, But Goddammit They Should Be

There may be a surplus of veterans charities out there, but we could always use a few more, right? We have some suggestions

Marine Corps

The Marine Corps Wants Some Extra Firepower On Its Next Amphibious Combat Vehicle

The Marine Corps is looking for a few good amphibious combat vehicles ahead of the next big war.

Opinion

What The US Army Should Learn From the British Army’s Punchy Recruiting Campaign

The U.S. Army will always face challenges recruiting the soldiers it needs, but an uphill battle is no excuse not to strive to do better —or learn from other countries' modernization efforts

Mexico

Thousands More Active-Duty Troops Will Deploy To Southwest Border Through September

"We are currently sourcing the units involved and there will be an increase of a few thousand troops. We will provide more clarity on the numbers when we have it."

United States

SOCOM Could Test A Military Jet Pack As Soon As This Summer

Strap in for a wild ride: U.S. Special Operations Command could end up testing out a prototype of a military-grade jet pack as soon as this summer,

Navy

A Sailor Was Apparently Worried About Pissing Hot, So He Allegedly Set Urine Samples On Fire

He allegedly tried to torch his urinalysis test, and now faces charges for attempting to set fire to bottles of pee.

Opinion

If You Were Triggered By That Gillette Ad, You’re Part Of The Problem

Some people are legitimately outraged by the idea that young men shouldn't be giving each other beatdowns. A not insignificant group feels seriously threatened by being told to be better.

News

The Trump Administration Really Needs An All-Day PowerPoint Briefing On OPSEC Awareness

Is the Pentagon gearing up to send a contingent of U.S. service member to South American in response to the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela? Apparently, according to the world's dumbest OPSEC fail

Navy

Navy Suicides Hit A Record High In 2018

A total of 68 active-duty sailors and 11 sailors in the Navy Reserve took their own lives in 2018.

Army

The Army Is Finally Cutting Dads A Break With More Parental Leave

Better late than never.

Mandatory Fun

Ralph Lauren’s Combat Chic Sweater Is Sure To Turn Heads, And Give Your Sgt Maj An Aneurysm

If you served in the military, especially in the Marine Corps, then that logo looks awfully familiar.

Army

He Accidentally Shot Himself In The Head. Now This Soldier Is Fighting To Be Medically Retired

"Although it was a reckless, stupid act, he had no thought there was actually a bullet in the gun when he fired it."

Analysis

This One Book Will Tell You Everything You Need To Know About Acting SecDef Patrick Shanahan

"His views are all in there: his leadership philosophy, his ideas on establishing harmony across large organizations, and the way he compartmentalizes a broad problem set into identifiable, solvable chunks."