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Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 60)

U.S. Marines assigned to Charlie Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct a dismounted patrol at the start of Range 400 at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, Sept. 14, 2023. Range 400 is used to conduct company-level live-fire training in a deliberate assault against prepared defensive positions to enhance combined arms engagement capabilities in an austere environment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aidan Hekker)
Marine Corps

What Marines deploying to LA amid protests legally can, and cannot, do

Marines would likely help protect federal buildings and agents in Los Angeles.

Col. Bree Fram pins a medal on a Space Force Guardian.
Space Force

US military’s highest ranking transgender officer says separation process is broken

Space Force Col. Bree Fram said service status and involuntary separations remain cloudy while the loss of transgender troops will leave vacancies in units as experienced troops leave.

An orange sticker with a warning about explosives.
Air Force

Munitions depot explosion at Kadena Air Base leaves four injured

Four Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force members were injured Monday after a piece of military ordnance went off at the U.S. Air Force base.

National Guard troops carry riot shields next to police firing less than lethal weapons.
National Guard

US Northern Command sets up task force for Los Angeles mission

As of Sunday evening, 300 California National Guard troops are in Los Angeles County, out of 2,000 placed under federal control.

A rocket launches from the top of a submarine, spewing a huge plume of smoke, in a black and white picture.
History

When the US Navy tried to send mail using a missile

66 years ago the U.S. Navy loaded a nuclear-capable cruise missile with the mail and fired it from a submarine towards Florida.

Several National Guard soldiers stand in front of trucks and humvees in Downtown Los Angeles in a loading dock.
National Guard

Trump orders 2,000 National Guardsmen to LA amid ICE protests

The first soldiers from the California National Guard's 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team arrived in Los Angeles County on Sunday morning following two days of protests.

Sgt. Aaron Cox with the 101st Airborne stands in full dress uniform.
Army

101st Airborne soldier dies in training accident in Hungary

Sgt. Aaron Cox, 24, was serving as an infantryman in the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. The incident is under investigation.

Concept art of two sleek, futuristic uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft flying in the clouds.
Air Force

Air Force sets up new Experimental Operations Unit for Collaborative Combat Aircraft

The new unit at Nellis Air Force Base plans to do simulations and eventual real flight tests of new uncrewed jets that are meant to integrate with crewed fighter jets.

Army plans to close more than 20 base museums in major reduction
Army

Army plans to close more than 20 base museums in major reduction

Officials say maintenance costs and aging buildings — but not DOGE — are behind an Army plan to close or consolidate many of its 41 museums, leaving 12 at major bases.

Operation Titanic: How the SAS and hundreds of fake paratroopers tricked the Nazis on D-Day
Video

Operation Titanic: How the SAS and hundreds of fake paratroopers tricked the Nazis on D-Day

Armed with lots of explosives, ammunition, and a complete disregard for their own safety, a handful of SAS commandos and hundreds of dummies kept thousands of Nazi troops chasing ghosts as Hitler's Fortress Europe was invaded.

Recruits with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, conduct the Confidence Course on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., June 25, 2024. After demonstrations, recruits complete various physically and mentally challenging obstacles. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ayden Cassano)
Career

Two-thirds of troops who left the military in 2023 were at risk for mental health conditions, survey found

A federal watchdog evaluated a new mental health exam given to over 50,000 troops who were on their way out of the military.

The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and the Threat Systems Management Office push a swarm of 40 drones through the town during the battle of Razish, National Training Center on May 8th, 2019. This exercise was the first of many held at the National Training Center. (U.S. Army Photo by Pv2 James Newsome)
The Pentagon Rundown

The aftermath of Operation Spider’s Web and what it means for the US military

Ukraine recently launched drones against airfields thousands of miles inside Russia — and it has experts concerned about the U.S. military’s ability to defend against such an attack.

Vets hope thousands will rally against VA cuts in nationwide protests
History

Vets hope thousands will rally against VA cuts in nationwide protests

Punk rockers and activist band Dropkick Murphys will play at a Washington D.C. rally amid dozens, and perhap hundreds, of gatherings nationally to protest cuts to VA staffing.

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos A. Ruiz And Cpl. Andrew Hundley
Marine Corps

A Marine Corps reply-all email apocalypse has an incredible real-life ending

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos A. Ruiz dropped in on a graduation ceremony to check on Cpl. Andrew Hundley, a cyberspace warfare operator and subject of an infamous Corps-wide Reply-All storm.

Secretary of the Navy, the Hon. John C. Phelan, right, and Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, commander, Carrier Strike Group 12, watch the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72) transit in formation next to the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) from the LSO platform, April 11, 2025. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Atlantic Ocean completing integrated naval warfighting training. Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) is the Joint Force’s most complex integrated training event and prepares naval task forces for sustained high-end Joint and combined combat. Integrated naval training provides America’s civilian leaders and commanders highly-capable forces that deter adversaries, underpin American security and economic prosperity, and reassure Allies and partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gladjimi Balisage)
Navy

Navy offers early retirement to more sailors with gender dysphoria

Sailors facing mandatory separation for gender dysphoria with as few as 15 years of service can now apply for retirement benefits, matching policies in the Air Force and Army.

Army barracks
Army

Army barracks repairs could suffer if money shifts to border, top general acknowledges

Defense officials are considering diverting money to maintain Army facilities to fund operations on the southern border, but no decision has been made.

Former Army Special Forces Captain Derrick Anderson was nominate to be the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict.
Afghanistan

Former Green Beret nominated to top Pentagon position to oversee special ops

Derrick Anderson led a team in Afghanistan that was involved in a friendly fire incident. A public investigation found he was one of several who shared blame. A second inquiry cited technical issues.

Army
Army

Army hits its annual recruiting goal in eight months

The Secretary of the Army credited a "focus on a return to warfighting" for the wave of new soldiers.

U.S. Army Soldiers, assigned to 10th Mountain Division, complete a training and validation exercise on the AN/TPQ-53 radar system in Sierra Vista, Ariz., March 12, 2025. The AN/TPQ-53 radar system is a unique military capability provided by Joint Task Force - Southern Border to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Chase Murray)
Drone Swarms

Soldiers on US-Mexico border hunt drones with air defense radars typically used in combat

Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division are tracking drone threats using the same kinds of radar systems sent to Ukraine to track, target and help kill Russian drones and missiles.

General view on Warminster community park, located at the former Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA on February 6, 2019. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to release updates on tests of per- and polyfuoroalkyl substances or PFAs pollution in public water supplies for 16 million Americans in 33 states, including Pennsylvania. The federal report is delayed due to January 2019 shutdown. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican of Bucks County in Eastern Pennsylvania and Democrat Dan Kildee, of Michigan cochair a bipartisan task force in the House of Representatives, formed to take on the growingPFAS ContaminationCrisis. The usage of foam at nearby former military bases is linked to tainted drinking water, affecting tens of thousands of residents in Bucks and Montgomery Counties in Eastern Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto)
Benefits

Bill would cover ‘Forever Chemical’ exposure at bases under VA benefits

Expansion of veteran health conditions related to PFAS exposure on military bases has been gaining more attention in Congress.