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Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 5)

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard Scott, assigned to 7th Army Training Command, observes candidates moving through a trench during the U.S. Army Europe and Africa European Best Sniper Team Competition in the 7th Army Training Command's Grafenwoehr Training Area, Grafenwoehr, Germany, Nov. 20, 2025. The USAREUR-AF EBST Competition held annually at 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area builds military readiness through realistic and challenging training scenarios, fosters military partnership and esprit des corps, and promotes NATO interoperability with Allied and Partner nations. (U.S. Army photo by Markus Rauchenberger)
News

Unaccredited VA claims company charged veteran $21,000 in violation of federal law, judge rules

A North Carolina judge ruled that Veterans Guardian VA Claim Consulting, LLC, acted as an accredited agent, even though it wasn't.

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Air Force

Security Forces airman becomes first Air Force graduate of Army’s revived jungle school

Once known as the "Green Hell," the 18-day course reopened last October on the eastern end of the Panama Canal.

U.S. Marines with Maritime Raid Force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct fast rope training aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 14, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
News

Most military branches don’t ‘fully’ check if suicide prevention training works, watchdog finds

The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps generally do not track or evaluate suicide prevention training effectiveness. The Air Force tracks data and has an evaluation plan, but there are gaps.

Mace Veit, a private first class in the Nevada National Guard, graduated four prestigious Army school since January: Ranger, Airborne, Air Assault and Pathfinder.
Army

19-year-old soldier completes Ranger, Airborne, Air Assault and Pathfinder schools

On top of that, he passed all of Ranger School’s notoriously taxing phases on his first try.

U.S. Army Spc. Riley Bowling, a mortarman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Mobile Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, conducts security measures around her Scorpion Light Mobile Mortar System during a counter landing life-fire exercise as part of Exercise Balikatan 2026 in Laoag City, Philippines, May 3, 2026. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military that represents the strength of our alliance, improves our capable combined force, and demonstrates our commitment to regional peace and prosperity. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Hunter Carpenter)
Artillery

This GPS-guided mortar system is meant to automate the call for fire

The Scorpion Light 81mm mobile mortar system allows crews to digitally enter data needed to hit targets and automatically moves the tube into firing position.

The Polaris MRZR Alpha 6x6 is designed to fit inside transports like the MV-22B Osprey, allowing it to be transported to places other vehicles can't reach.
Vehicles

This 6-wheeled dune-buggy could be how troops get resupplied in the future

The Polaris MRZR Alpha 6x6 is designed to be able to carry vital supplies, be fitted with weapons, and medically evacuate wounded troops.

A photo of Anduril's EagleEye system.
Tech & Tactics

The battery for this next-gen headset is built into the ballistic plate

The EagleEye headset from Anduril is aims to give real-life soldiers access to a HUD akin to those seen by gamers in first-person shooters.

A U.S. Marine with Maritime Special Purpose Force, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, operates a drone during a simulated raid exercise as part of the Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise at the Tier 1 Group compound near Memphis, Tennessee, Jan. 16, 2025. MEUEX is the 22nd MEU's first large-scale exercise as a composited Marine Air-Ground Task Force, focusing on split operations with consolidated command and control to enhance readiness for its upcoming deployment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Tanner Bernat)
Tactics

AI in special operations will always have ‘a human in the loop,’ top officer says

“There's no doubt that [AI is] changing and impacting and making us more efficient in many ways, but we have to also have a bit of a reality check,” said the head of U.S. Special Operations Command.

Maj. (Dr.) Erika Page receives the Hero of Military Medicine Award from Brig. Gen. Lance Raney (left), U.S. Army deputy surgeon general, and Joseph Caravalho, president and chief executive officer of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, May 7 at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The annual Heroes of Military Medicine awards recognize outstanding contributions by senior leaders, medical professionals, and civilians working in the Department of War.
Army

Doctor recalls treating dozens after Tower 22 drone attack

After treating more than 70 patients in the hours after the attack, the Army National Guard major pushed for Purple Hearts for many of the soldiers who suffered TBIs.

A US marine from Regimental Combat Team-8 walks between accommodation tents at Forward Operating Base Delaram in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan on April 4, 2011. Around 140,000 foreign troops are deployed in Afghanistan within the UN-mandated, NATO-led, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the US-led coalition Operation Enduring Freedom, which overthrew the Taliban in late 2001. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS (Photo credit should read PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images)
Drones

Drones could mean the end of sprawling bases seen during Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

“I think we need to make ourselves a smaller target. We have to be harder to be detected, hit.”

Young family with a toddler girl moving in new home.

VA home loans explained 

Navy Federal helps you take advantage of a powerful veteran’s benefit

A joint special forces team move together out of a U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey Feb. 26, 2018, at Melrose Training Range, New Mexico. At Emerald Warrior, the largest joint and combined special operations exercise, U.S. Special Operations Command forces train to respond to various threats across the spectrum of conflict. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Clayton Cupit)
Training

Special operators need to be ‘lethal but also technically fluent,’ commander says

"You can't be brilliant with the modern basics on this muscle memory alone. You need the technical education and training to be able to master the electromagnetic spectrum in the virtual domain, as well.”

An OA-1K Skyraider II comes in for a landing on a dirt path July 10 on the Eglin Air Force Base, Florida range. The new Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft continues developmental testing with the 96th Test Wing and the U.S. Special Operations Command at Eglin. (Courtesy image)
Aircraft

Air Force now has 18 of its new Skyraider II ‘Swiss Army Knife’ aircraft, official says

The OA-1K Skyraider II is designed to support special operations forces by flying armed reconnaissance, close air support, and precision strike missions.

Two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers assigned to the Growler Demo Team perform a capabilities demonstration during the Guardians of Freedom Airshow, Aug. 27, 2023, at the Lincoln Airport, Nebraska. Hosted by the Nebraska National Guard, Offutt Air Force Base, Lincoln Airport and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, the event provides the community with an opportunity to view the robust capabilities of U.S. military air power. The Growler Demo Team performs at air shows across the United States as part of the U.S. Navy Legacy Flight Team, designed to keep Naval Aviation’s ties to its proud heritage alive and viable. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson)
Navy

Fighter pilots say Growler crews’ safe ejections were a ‘miracle’

All four crew members of two Navy E/A-18G Growlers survived ejecting, three without injury, after their planes became lodged together in a midair collision

An Army Ranger assigned to 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, conducts a squad live fire exercise at Fort Benning, Georgia, May 13, 2025.
Tactics

SOCOM wants to move fast on new tech: ‘We’re not building aircraft carriers here’

U.S. Special Operations Command’s strategy for fielding new technology to special operators emphasizes speed, a top acquisitions official with the command said.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John P. Healy, chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, is honored with the sword during an Order of the Sword ceremony at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, May 14, 2026. The Order of the Sword is the highest honor and tribute noncommissioned officers can bestow upon an individual. Healy becomes the 18th person to receive the Air Force Reserve honor. (U.S. Air Force photo by Erica Webster) 
Air Force

Air Force Reserve Command chief honored with massive sword

Lt. Gen. John Healy is the latest inductee into the Air Force’s blade friendly Order of the Sword.

The U.S. Navy’s EA-18G Growler Demonstration Team, from Naval Air Station Whidby Island, Wash., performs an aerobatic display during the Thunder Over Louisville air show in Louisville, Ky., April 20, 2024. This year’s event featured more than two-dozen military and civilian aircraft, including the Kentucky Air National Guard’s C130J Super Hercules. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)
News

Aircrews safely eject after two Navy jets collide during air show

Two jets from the Navy’s EA-18G Growler Demonstration Team collided in midair during a demonstration at Mountain Home Air Force Base.

CLEVELAND (May 9, 2026) – The future USS Cleveland (LCS 31) arrives in Cleveland, Ohio, May 9, 2026, ahead of its commissioning ceremony. Cleveland is the fourth warship to be named after Ohio’s second largest city and is the 16th and final Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) to be built and commissioned in the U.S. Navy. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jasmin L. Aquino) 
Navy

Navy commissions the USS Cleveland, the last littoral combat ship

The final Freedom-class ship entered service on Saturday in its namesake city.

An F/A-18 taxis before flight aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during Operation Epic Fury March 6, 2026. (U.S Navy Photo)
Navy

Ford Carrier Strike Group awarded rare Presidential Unit Citation for Iran War

The honor was given as the USS Gerald R. Ford returned home after 326 days away, including taking part in two major combat operations.

Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service operators exit a rigid-hull inflatable boat to conduct a ground raid during exercise Flintlock 26 in Côte d'Ivoire, April 29, 2026. Integrating multidomain capabilities served as a cornerstone of Flintlock 26, leveraging ground, maritime and air capabilities during planning and tactical operations to improve collective readiness. Since 2005, Flintlock has served as U.S. Africa Command’s premier annual special operations exercise. This year’s exercise brought together more than 30 countries across Côte d’Ivoire and Libya to build lethality and readiness, strengthen counterterrorism skills and increase collaboration across borders. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kristina Randall) 
Africa

US, Nigerian troops kill ISIS second in command

The attack near the Lake Chad Basin is the largest U.S. operation in Nigeria since American troops deployed in February.