Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 54)

Army

Is ‘War’ the new name for the Department of Defense?

President Trump said he wants to rename the Defense Department to the Department of War, which was once the agency in charge of the Army. But a formal rebrand would require Congress.

Air Force

Every single F-35 delivered to the US military last year was late

On average, new F-35s were delivered 238 days late in 2024. A government watchdog found that the F-35 builder continues to collect “hundreds of millions” in fees despite sagging delivery times.

News

Army’s newest rifle for soldiers dropped from independent testing program

The new M7 rifle was dropped from a program the Pentagon designed to run independent stress tests on new weapon systems for real-world scenarios.

Army

101st Airborne Division soldiers deploy to southern border

The Army is sending soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division and other units to the U.S.-Mexico border this fall to replace those already there.

National Guard

National Guard medics in DC are carrying overdose reversal drug Narcan

Task force officials said 25 medics are carrying the medication, which reverses the effects of opiate overdoses. Common in civilian medicine, the drug is available for Army medics to carry on patrol.

Marine Corps

Legendary Marine Raider finally promoted to sergeant at 100

One of the original Marine Raiders, Frank S. Wright and was bayoneted in the stomach and shot in the chest during combat across the Pacific in World War II, including at Iwo Jima.

Navy

US forces stage ‘lethal’ airstrike on alleged drug boat in southern Caribbean

U.S. officials released a video that appeared to show an airstrike by U.S. forces on a speedboat in waters near Venezuela that President Donald Trump said was carrying a "lot of drugs."

Space Force

Space Force announces timeline for ordering new service dress uniform

The first Space Force guardians will begin receiving the new service dress uniform in November.

Army

Army axes promotion boards that weighed opinions of peers, subordinates for commanders

Army officials said last month they were reviewing the Command Assessment Program, which was officially established in the last week of the Biden Administration. Now the program is officially cancelled.

Army

West Point cadet pulls driver from car crash just before flames erupt

"There wasn’t time to think twice," the football player said, when downed power lines sparked beneath a crashed car.

World War II

A tractor enthusiast wants to recover one onboard a sunken World War II carrier

The USS Hornet was sunk in fierce fighting during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. A converted farm tractor went down with it. 

Air Force

Hueys make their last flight at Yokota Air Base as the Air Force retires them

The 459th Airlift Squadron was the last unit operating the decades-old UH-1N Hueys in the Indo-Pacific.

Navy

Navy warships amass near Venezuela

The Navy has sent destroyers, a cruiser and an amphibious ready group with a Marine Expeditionary Unit to the southern Caribbean this month.

Navy

Navy’s top cybersecurity official abruptly leaves

Jane Rathbun, the Navy’s chief information officer, is the latest official with the service to leave a senior post in a week.

Culture

Military will now drug test troops for psychedelic mushrooms

The Pentagon is adding a compound found in magic mushrooms, or “shrooms,” to the panel used to test service members for drug use.

History

What was the Department of War and why was the name changed?

President Donald Trump floated the idea of transferring the Department of Defense to the Department of War — a title that George Washington used when he established America’s first official Army.

National Guard

What the commander of the National Guard in DC wants the public to know

“We want to make sure that everyone around us, no matter how they feel about this or what they’re doing, they feel safe. That’s what we’re here for.”

Drone Swarms

Project Flytrap and the Army’s answer to drone warfare

The Army’s Project Flytrap gives the infantry and other troops a modular, low-cost toolkit to stop cheap drones before they strike. No lasers or million-dollar missiles required.

Air Force

These are the funeral honors the Air Force says it will extend to Ashli Babbitt

The Air Force will extend military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran shot and killed as she climbed through a broken window during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Marine Corps

Navy ends carrier landings as a requirement to earn ‘Wings of Gold’

Landing on an aircraft carrier defines Naval aviation. But new pilots now do it later in their training, after they've already earned their "Wings of Gold."