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Opinion

Views from the barracks to the battlefield.

Latest in Opinion

The initial design of the National Global War on Terror Memorial drew sharp criticism for its ambigious message. But that, argues one veteran, is its greatest strength.
Commentary

How do you memorialize a war whose legacy is still being written?

By Jim Craig

Posted on Jul 3, 2026

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), conducts flight deck operations during Operation Epic Fury, March 15, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
Commentary

How does the Iran war end?

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Apr 2, 2026

U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, Marine Barracks Washington, The Commandant's Own, Silent Drill Platoon, Drum and Bugle Corps, Color Guard
Opinion

The secret list that’s ending military careers

By Max Jesse Goldberg

Posted on Nov 20, 2025

A live fire demonstration of the Army’s newest and most modernized combat vehicle, the M10 Booker, marks the conclusion of the M10 Booker Dedication Ceremony at Aberdeen Proving Ground, in Aberdeen, Md., April 18, 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Kaufmann)
Opinion

Why the Marine Corps should adopt the M10 Booker

By Lt. Col. John J. Dick, Lt. Col. Daniel D. Phillips

Posted on Jun 16, 2025

The Pentagon's plan for an accountability review of the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, raises a question with few clear answers: Will we ever have accountability for the war itself?
Commentary

Is it possible to have ‘accountability’ for the War in Afghanistan?

By Jeff Schogol, James Clark

Posted on May 23, 2025

A US soldier rests on a tank as troops patrol oil fields near Syria's northeastern border with Turkey in the Qahtaniyah countryside in the far northeast corner of Hasakeh province on September 3, 2024. The United States has around 900 troops in Syria that are part of an anti-jihadist coalition and also have forces protecting the Conoco gas field and Al-Omar oil fields in east of the country. (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Commentary

What is going on in Syria and what the hell does it mean for US troops?

By Alex Plitsas

Posted on Dec 18, 2024

A soldier prepares freeze dried plasma during a military training exercise.
Opinion

Opinion: The urgent need to field dried plasma for large-scale combat operations

By LTC Steven G Schauer, DO, MS, MAJ Andrew D Fisher, MD, MPAS, Joshua M. Skovlund EMT-P, MSG Peter J Stednick, 68W, COL Michael J. Tarpey, MD, COL Benjamin P Donham, MD, LTC Ryan M Knight, MD, COL Jennifer M Gurney, MD, COL Jason B. Corley, MS, CSM Curtis C Conklin, 68W, CAPT Travis M. Polk, MD, CAPT Leslie E. Riggs, MS, MLS, SBB, Col Vikhyat S Bebarta, MD, LTC Michael D April, MD, DPhil, MSc

Posted on Jul 22, 2024

Members of the Joint Armed Forces Honor Guard file out of the Lincoln Memorial during the Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath Ceremony in honor of President Abraham Lincoln's 210th birthday at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dana Clarke)
Opinion

Opinion: Project 2025 would slash veterans’ hard-earned benefits  

By Russell B. Lemle, Jasper Craven

Posted on Jul 21, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. - MARCH 17: Eugene Simpson, 29, from Dale City, Virginia goes through physical therapy at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C. with Michael Minor, a kinesiotherapist with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on March 17, 2006 in Washington, D.C., USA. Simpson, was left paralyzed after an Improvised Explosive Device (I.E.D.) wounded him while on patrol outside of Tikrit, Iraq on while serving as a United States soldier on April 7, 2004. Prior to his injury, Simpson had been a standout athlete, playing both football and basketball in college. (Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images)
Opinion

Without swift action, the VA will continue ‘eliminating choice for millions of veterans’

By Jasper Craven

Posted on Jun 26, 2024

MRI scan army tbi
Opinion

HunterSeven talked me into getting a cancer screening – I’m glad I went

By Joshua Skovlund

Posted on Jun 11, 2024

Military sexual trauma cases have been removed from the chain of command — but there’s more work to do
Opinion

Military sexual trauma cases have been removed from the chain of command — but there’s more work to do

By Jenna Carlton

Posted on Mar 29, 2024

Marine Corps artificial intelligence machine learning
Opinion

The classroom is a battle lab: Using professional military education to usher in a new era of algorithmic warfare

By Benjamin Jensen

Posted on Mar 6, 2024

battlefield pain solutions
Opinion

The US military still lacks a safe and effective battlefield pain solution

By LTC Steven G Schauer, DO, MS, Adit A Ginde, MD, MPH, COL (ret.) Robert L Mabry, MD, COL Benjamin P Donham, MD, COL Michael J. Tarpey, MD, Col Vikhyat S Bebarta, MD, CSM Curtis C Conklin, 68W, LTC Julie A Rizzo, MD, LTC Michael D April, MD, DPhil, MSc, LTC Ryan M Knight, MD, MAJ Andrew D Fisher, MD, MPAS, MSG Peter J Stednick, 68W

Posted on Feb 6, 2024

task and purpose best stories of 2023
Opinion

The best Task & Purpose stories of 2023

By Marty Skovlund Jr., Matt White

Posted on Jan 3, 2024

Veterans Administration community care congress
Opinion

Opinion: Veterans are dying because Congress and the VA refuse to impose quality standards for community care

By Russell Lemle

Posted on Dec 7, 2023

millennial veteran
Opinion

Opinion: Veterans won’t help the recruiting crisis until our issues are addressed

By Jenna Carlton

Posted on Dec 2, 2023