Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 9)

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flosi
Air Force

Air Force’s highest ranking enlisted leader announces retirement

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi said he is leaving active-duty service. He announced late last month that his wife, Katy, had died on Sept. 20.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Nikko Guerra, left, 718th Force Support Squadron food services shift lead, hands food to Airman 1st Class Gavin Lunn, 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron supply journeyman during the midnight service at the Marshall Dining Facility on Kadena Air Base, Japan, July 24, 2025. Dining facilities ensure service members receive nutritious meals to maintain peak performance. (U.S Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Johnson)
Army

Army now planning campus–style dining at up to 10 large bases

Officials said they’re looking at eight to ten more bases, including overseas locations.

A S-70UAS U-Hawk, a modified uncrewed Black Hawk helicopter.
Army

This wild new Black Hawk prototype is part drone, part Transformer

Sikorsky has turned a Black Hawk helicopter into an autonomous aircraft with the goal of accompanying manned missions in the air.

Alaska National Guard photo by Dana Rosso
Coast Guard

At least 30 rescued in Alaska floods as military teams rush to remote villages

Multiple search and rescue helicopters and planes from the state's Army and Air National Guard forces, along with Coast Guard units, were scrambled in the wake of typhoon-fueled flooding.

ELWOOD, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 07: Members of the Texas National Guard stand guard at an army reserve training facility on October 07, 2025 in Elwood, Illinois. The Trump administration has been threatening for more than a month to send the guard to Illinois to address Chicago's crime problem and to support ICE and CBP during Operation Midway Blitz. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been outspoken in his opposition to the move, accusing the president of using the guardsmen as political pawns. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
National Guard

Some Texas National Guard troops replaced in Illinois after failing to meet standards

“National Guard Soldiers and Airman are required to meet service-specific height, weight and physical fitness standards at all times,” the National Guard Bureau said on Thursday.

US Navy sailors listen to US President Donald Trump speak as he visits the USS Harry S. Truman during the US Navy's 250th anniversary celebration, "America's Navy 250: Titans of the Sea - A Salute to the Fleet", at Naval Station Norfolk Pier 14 in Norfolk, Virginia on October 5, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
News

Pentagon moves $8 billion from research to pay troops 

Left over research and development funds will be reallocated to pay military members on Oct. 15, the Department of Defense said, following orders from President Trump.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Aug. 8, 2025) Midshipmen 4th Class, or plebes, from the United States Naval Academy class of 2029 participate in noon meal formation in T-Court. Afterwards they are given the opportunity to meet with their families during Plebe Parents Weekend, a time for the families of the incoming class to see the progress made during Plebe Summer, a demanding indoctrination period intended to transition the candidates from civilian to military life. As the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey)
Benefits & Pay

Troops stung by ‘hard’ credit checks and unexpected denials in USAA’s relief loans

As troops scrambled ahead of a missed paycheck, some were surprised by credit checks and denials at military-friendly USAA. A chatbot told one soldier to open a credit card or visit a competitor.

Missiles on display at the entrance to F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.
Air Force

Fourth death in four months linked to Air Force nuke base

An airman’s death on Wednesday came only a week after another airman assigned to F.E. Warren Air Force died in an apparent murder-suicide.

A US soldier gives the thumbs-up as an Israeli digger attempts to extricate a US military vessel (not pictured) that ran aground at a beach in the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod on May 25, 2024. The US military said four of its vessels, supporting a temporary pier built to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, had run aground in heavy seas. (Photo by Oren Ziv / AFP) (Photo by OREN ZIV/AFP via Getty Images)
Middle East

US to send 200 troops to monitor Gaza ceasefire

The force will not enter the Gaza Strip, but focus on logistics, according to officials.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle conducts combat patrols over the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility Oct. 19, 2024. The F-15E is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to allow the Air Force to gain and maintain air supremacy over the CENTCOM area of responsibility and provide security to ground forces conducting counter-violent extremist operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Willis)
Air Force

Idaho Air Force base will host a Qatari F-15 training unit

Qatar will set up a facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho to train F-15 pilots. Secretary Hegseth had to clarify it will be on an existing, U.S.-controlled base, not a new separate Qatari one.

As teams, candidates maneuver an obstacle course during the Special Warfare Training Wing Assessment & Selection Course at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on March 14, 2023. The Special Warfare Training Wing prepares candidates physically, mentally, emotionally and cognitively for demanding careers as special warfare operators. (U.S. Air Force photo by Miriam Thurber)
Air Force

Air Force revamps its special warfare training pipeline

Starting in November, Air Force special warfare students will go through a 16-week “Zulu Course" on combat skills after the assessment and selection process.

The Navy's nuclear ballistic submarine USS Maine conducts surface navigational operations about 50 miles south of Puerto Rico. U.S. Strategic Command is working with the Navy to develop a replacement for the Ohio-class submarine fleet to ensure a continued strong nuclear deterrence into the future. U.S. Navy photo
Navy

Navy fires commanding officer of missile submarine USS Wyoming

Cmdr. Robert Moreno was relieved as commanding officer of the USS Wyoming’s Blue Crew on Oct. 8. The Navy has not said why he was fired other than a "loss of confidence."

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Pacific complete the Incline Skills Trainer during the USARPAC Best Squad Competition, July 18, 2025, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The week-long competition will assess each squad on their technical and tactical proficiency, as well as their ability to work as a disciplined and cohesive team. The competition features a multitude of different fitness and combat related events ranging from the Army Combat Fitness Test and various weapons lanes, to a strenuous 12-mile foot march and detailed individual warrior tasks and squad battle drills. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alvin Conley)
Housing

For barracks overhaul, Hegseth steers towards private contractors

A new Barracks Task Force has 30 days to come up with a plan to bring in private industry and ways to bolster self-help programs.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Ress, 309th Fighter Squadron commander, fastens his oxygen mask to his helmet in the cabin of a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon for the final F-16 flight of the 309th FS, Feb. 26, 2025, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. While the 56th Fighter Wing will continue to support legacy aircraft like the F-16 for international partners, the wing’s mission has sharpened its focus on the U.S. Air Force’s latest fifth-generation fighter, the F-35A Lightning II. The 56th FW mission is essential to generating combat airpower. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Katelynn Jackson)
News

Military charities prepare for surge in cash requests during shutdown

As troops face a missed paycheck Oct. 15, official charity organizations that serve each military branch are already fielding a surge in requests for cash aid.

Tank Names
Army

We salute the soldiers who named their tank ‘Divine Intervention’

“Divine Intervention” is the latest entry in the pantheon of awesome names for U.S. tanks.

U.S. Army Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard, stand in formation at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, June 22, 2025. The Soldiers were part of an element deployed to augment U.S. Marines in protecting the building and manning security points in the surrounding area. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. On June 7, the Secretary of Defense directed USNORTHCOM to establish Task Force 51 to oversee Title 10 forces supporting this mission. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christy L. Sherman)
National Guard

Poll: Most Americans say military should be apolitical and face only ‘external threats’

Fifty-eight percent of all adults surveyed in a new poll said that Trump should only deploy the military against 'external threats.'

Soldiers in military fatigues in the desert, with figures visible in the background, in the Saudi–Iraqi neutral zone on the border between Saudi Arabia and the Iraq, 1991. (Photo by David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
Veterans

Long-dismissed ‘Gulf War Illness’ finally recognized with international medical code

Vets says doctors often question if Gulf War Illness is real. The condition was just added as a formal diagnosis in a key international medical system.

True North
Air Force

Air Force training command may stop embedding mental health teams within units

Air Education and Training Command is considering ending it True North mental health resiliency program, which embeds counselors inside "priority" units. No final decision has been made.

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Jason Myers, an operations chief with 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, replaces a towel rack during Operation Clean Sweep III at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 26, 2025. Operation Clean Sweep III, part of the ongoing Barracks 360 Reset Initiative, demonstrates a collective commitment to improving living conditions through shared ownership, sustained accountability, and tangible improvements to the barracks. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Manuel Rivera)
Housing

Hegseth directs new task force to come up with ‘barracks investment plan’

Though some barracks funding has been diverted to border operations this year, a new task force will have 30 days to come up with new proposals to address substandard facilities.

Philadelphia, PA, USA - November 8, 2015: The U.S. Army Drill Team performs a demonstration for officials gathered at Independence Mall, in Philadelphia, PA, on November 8, 205, for the inaugural Philly Veterans Parade. (photo by Bastiaan Slabbers)
Veterans

One VA staffer rubber-stamped benefits at 20 times the normal rate. That could be bad news for vets.

Lauded by some as a 'hero without a cape,' a VA staffer who blindly approved tens of thousands of benefit packages actually missed many claims, leaving some veterans underpaid.