Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 7)

Marines detonate C4 plastic explosives at the ETA-7 Engineer Demolition Training Range on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. on April 17, 2018.
Marine Corps

Marines beef up security for weapons, ammo, explosives after lapses were found

After Government Accountability Office audits found that inspections were lacking, the Marine Corps is reinforcing its rules around ammo and firearm security.

Gen. Ken Wilsbach, Pacific Air Forces commander, returns from a flight at Kadena Air Base, Japan, April 17, 2023. Wilsbach attended the Kadena Eagle Sunset Celebration this past weekend and flew with the 18th Wing to bid the F15C/D models farewell. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Sebastian Romawac)
Air Force

New Air Force chief of staff confirmed after predecessor’s early departure

Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach was confirmed as the next Air Force chief of staff.

Air Force Extensions
Air Force

Airmen and Space Force guardians will be extended for 60 days due to shutdown

A total of roughly 50 airmen and Space Force guardians are being extended for 60 days during the federal government shutdown.

Soldiers with the 4th Ranger Training Battalion watch as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter medevacs a casualty during a Rangers in Action demonstration, Oct. 3, 2025, at Victory Pond on Fort Benning, Georgia. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick A. Albright)
News

Pentagon says troops will get paid at end of week

Troops will receive their end-of-month paychecks even though the federal government remains shut down, according to the Pentagon.

U.S Army Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), addresses U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Finnish army soldiers with the Jaeger Brigade following a combined arms live fire exercise between U.S. and Finnish forces, Rovaniemi, Finland, Aug. 11, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Tobias Cukale)
Army

Army 3-star general retires early from Pentagon role as shake-ups continue

Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, a senior Pentagon planner, is retiring amid reports he clashed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over Ukraine and strikes in the Caribbean.

U.S. Soldiers maneuver a M1 Abrams main battle tank into a breaching position during Rotation 25-04 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., Feb. 9, 2025.
Tanks

The next Abrams tank, built lighter and quieter, is due next year

The Army is pushing forward with the M1E3 Abrams, a lighter, modular tank built for a drone-saturated battlefield. Is this the right move?

Soldiers from A-Co, 1-502nd Infantry Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division conduct a mounted patrols on their Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISV) at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany Oct. 19, 2025. The 101st is currently executing Combined Resolve 26-1 at the Joint Multinational Training Center (JMRC). This critical exercise assesses and stresses the new Mobile Brigade Combat Team (MBCT) formation, and builds upon lessons learned from their previous CTC rotation in 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Brian Sutherland)
Europe

101st Airborne infantry unit leaves Europe as US focuses on border, drug war

Soldiers with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, are heading home with no unit set to replace them in Europe.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: California National Guard soldiers stand guard as protests continue in an approximately one-square mile area of downtown Los Angeles in response to a series of immigration raids on June 12, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Protests escalated after President Donald Trump authorized military forces to protect federal property against the wishes of city and state officials who say that the Los Angeles police have the expertise and decades of experience to handle large protest crowds. National Guard troops have so far played no role in quelling violence in the streets, according to Mayor Bass, but are stationed to guard federal buildings. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
National Guard

Leaked memo details National Guard plan for a ‘quick reaction force’ in US cities

Each state will have a quick reaction force unit made up of hundreds of troops ready to deploy by Jan. 1, 2026, according to an official memo.

No clear winner emerged from teams of Marines, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs and Air Force airmen competed in a "Drone Crucible" in September.
Drones

No clear winner in military’s first ‘drone crucible’

Nobody took home the crucible crown. But Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Marines and airmen swapped drone tactics and spotted weaknesses.

New billboards were put up on expressways leading to U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida, where the U.S. military’s ongoing operations in the Caribbean Sea are being overseen.
Americas

Billboards outside US Southern Command urge troops not to ‘break the law’ in Caribbean strikes

New billboards have been put up near Miami, Chicago, and Memphis, Tennessee.

Navy Social Media Review
Marine Corps

Navy launches review of Marines’ and sailors’ personal social media posts

Navy Secretary John Phelan has announced a review into whether sailors’ and Marines’ social media posts have been “misaligned” with official guidance.

BOOTS. (L to R) Blake Burt as John Bowman, Zach Roerig as Knox, and Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope in Episode 101 of Boots. Cr. Alfonso "Pompo" Bresciani/Netflix © 2023
Entertainment

The real-life Marine behind Netflix’s coming of age story, ‘Boots’

"Boots," adapted from the memoir "The Pink Marine," follows a gay man who enlisted with the dream of changing his future, but had to live a double life the entire time.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Hector Orenga, 305th Air Mobility Wing crew chief, conducts engine inspections on a C-17 Globemaster III at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Jan. 24, 2024. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in deployed areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Sergio Avalos)
Benefits & Pay

Troops, families and military civilians: How is the shutdown affecting you?

The government shutdown is shaping up to be the longest in American history, and as we continue to report on it, we need your help.

A U.S. Air Force Airman from Fairchild Air Force Base shaves his mustache off during the Mustache Dash event at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, March 31, 2023. The Mustache Dash was an event created to raise awareness for mental health that encompasses all four pillars of Comprehensive Airman Fitness, mental, physical, spiritual and social. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Morgan Dailey)
Culture

Hegseth won’t meet troops with beards during South Korea trip

Service members with shaving waivers are not allowed to attend a meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week in South Korea.

Among trounior enlisted service members with families are among those l231119-N-ML137-1033 NAVAL BASE GUAM, Guam (Nov. 19, 2023) Hull Technician 3rd Class Steven Tamse, right, and other Sailors assigned to the submarine-tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40), fill store shelves at Orote Point Commissary following a shipment of groceries, Nov. 19, 2023. The shipment is one of several high-priority grocery flights that will resupply Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) shelves at Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB) and U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) before Thanksgiving. Following the discovery of an isolated insect incident at base commissaries in Guam, Joint Region Marianas engaged DeCA leadership for immediate response. The shipments of groceries will provide much needed products to military service members and their families. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Samantha Jetzer)
Active Duty

As federal food assistance runs out, junior troops with families may be hit hard

Military members and families experiencing food insecurity face a “severe strain” as the government says it won’t send federal food assistance in November.

Latin American man looking at the diagnosis results after scanning his car at an Auto Repair Shop

Buying a car this fall? How to get the most out of the dealership

Use a Navy Federal Pre-Authorization letter to help your negotiation

Drill Sergeant Hats
Army

Female drill sergeants will soon wear the Army’s iconic campaign hat

Starting on Jan. 2, female drill sergeants will wear the campaign hat, one of the most distinctive hats in the Army.

Personnel with U.S. Cyber Command work in the Integrated Cyber Center, Joint Operations Center at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland on April 2, 2021. Army photo by Josef Cole.
Tech & Tactics

Does the US military need a Cyber Force?

Experts say the U.S. military is at risk of being outgunned and outmanned in cyber warfare.

Anthony Ramos in 'A House of Dynamite,' in military uniform standing in front of a vehicle.
Entertainment

Pentagon reportedly upset over Netflix’s nuclear war movie ‘A House of Dynamite’

A new internal memo wants to help Missile Defense Agency personnel be ready to "address false assumptions" stemming from the new Kathryn Bigelow movie.

250730-N-IP140-1119 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (July 30, 2025) An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during flight operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)
Navy

Two USS Nimitz aircraft crash within an hour in separate mishaps

Both aircraft were on routine flight operations, the Navy said, when they went down in the water only 30 minutes apart. All crew were recovered safely.