opinion Archives - Task & Purpose

By Tony Valdovinos Dec 21, 2020

Opinion

I dreamed of becoming a Marine my entire life. Then I learned I was undocumented

"I couldn’t work legally. I couldn’t get a driver’s license. Worst of all, I was prohibited from defending my country."

By Lt Col Kaveri Crum and Emma Moore Dec 16, 2020

Opinion

How to build more resilient and innovative US special operations teams

U.S. special operations forces are at a breaking point. Here's how to fix them.

By Florent Groberg and Michele S. Jones Dec 9, 2020

Opinion

It’s time for a post-9/11 veteran to lead the VA

The post-9/11 generation is ready to make history.

By Benjamin Abel, The War Horse Nov 25, 2020

Opinion

‘You either went to war or you didn’t’ — How deployments divide the veteran community

There will always be that awkward silence that follows, “Yeah, I got out before the wars started."

By Carl Forsling Nov 25, 2020

Analysis

The Commandant of the Marine Corps is charging into the future, but some aren’t ready for change

The Corps has acted as a second land army so many times it’s flipped the dessert with the main course.

By C. August Elliott Nov 23, 2020

Analysis

The unanswered questions from Australia’s harrowing war crimes report

Allegations of war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan have been substantiated by the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Here's...

By Mike McGuinness, The War Horse Nov 18, 2020

Community

Clint Lorance ordered me to kill Afghan civilians. I still live with that guilt today

'I am angry and let down that Clint Lorance is feted around like some hero, while the real heroes—Nick Carson,...

By Shahad Alibadi Nov 12, 2020

Community

Families like mine risked our lives for US troops abroad. Now America is abandoning us

After Iraq’s liberation when I was just a child, my family had begun aiding the U.S. military. Here's the story...

By Morgan Lerette, The War Horse Oct 21, 2020

Opinion

‘I’m here for the money’ — My life as a Blackwater mercenary

Wait. I need to feel bad about this. At least a little bad. Nope. These people don’t care about their...

By Chris Miller and Doug Livermore Oct 19, 2020

Analysis

Special Forces needs to go back to basics to win against China and Russia

This article provides force management recommendations meant to bring Special Forces “back to basics” and address this capability gap by...

By Maj. Adam DeMarco Oct 13, 2020

Opinion

Why I blew the whistle on the forceful clearing of Lafayette Square

National Guard Maj. Adam DeMarco explains why he chose to testify before Congress on the precarious position the U.S. military...

By Lt. Col. Stewart Parker and Emma Moore Sep 30, 2020

Analysis

What leaders can do now to strengthen US special operations forces

To build stronger special operations teams, leaders at all levels must identify and enforce priorities, focus on health and resilience,...

By Jacob Tice Sep 25, 2020

Opinion

My brother Austin asked me to go to Syria with him. Four months later, he was taken

Every second he stays in captivity cuts a deeper wound in the hearts of my family, and we can wait...

By Joe Quinn Sep 11, 2020

Opinion

Our country needs to rekindle the unity we felt after September 11th

Editor's note: This article first appeared in 2016 and is being republished for the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist...

By Joe Quinn Sep 10, 2020

Community

I learned to understand shame after losing my brother on September 11th

"I would go on to serve two deployments to Iraq as a soldier and one deployment to Afghanistan as a...

By Travis Weiner Sep 8, 2020

Immigration Rundown

I was in the wrong fight in Iraq. As an immigration lawyer, I found the right one

Editor's note: this post first appeared in November, 2016 I can’t remember the exact moment (if there even was one)...

By Thibaut Delloue Aug 20, 2020

Analysis

3 years after the Fitzgerald and McCain collisions, the Navy’s surface warfare community shows few signs of change

Three years after two of the most shocking peacetime accidents in the history of the U.S. military, the surface community...

By Anthony Ippoliti Aug 14, 2020

Analysis

What the Russian bounties story reveals about the limits of human intelligence collection

The information in the initial report of Russian bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan appears to have been based on...

By Jeannette Gaudry Haynie, PhD and Kyleanne Hunter, PhD Jul 10, 2020

Analysis

The Pentagon has a plan to include more women in national security. Here’s what that means — and why it matters

A broader perspective is needed to more fully understand the drivers of conflict and promote lasting security.

By Reps. Katie Porter and Jason Crow Jun 30, 2020

Opinion

Americans need to know how many of its troops are in harm’s way

There is nothing more fundamental to American democracy than the idea that the government must be answerable to the people.

By Gregory D. Foster Jun 17, 2020

Analysis

US civil-military relations: a flawed deal in desperate need of repair

Civil-military relations in the United States are in a serious state of disrepair, driven in profound measure by presidential politicization...

By Marcus Hedahl and Bradley Jay Strawser, The Conversation Jun 13, 2020

Analysis

Why service members might disobey Trump’s orders to occupy US cities

Members of the U.S. armed forces could refuse to follow the orders of their commander-in-chief if they believed those orders...

By Jim Golby and Mara Karlin Jun 12, 2020

Analysis

The case for rethinking the politicization of the military

The military is a political creature — it’s time for it to consider what that means in a more practical...

By J. Davis Winkie Jun 12, 2020

Analysis

It’s time to rename Fort Benning for Alwyn Cashe

Establishing Fort Cashe is the right thing to do — and now is the right time to do it

By Kayla Williams and Lindsay Church Jun 9, 2020

Analysis

The deafening silence of veteran service organizations on Black Lives Matter

"This is not a partisan political issue. This is a human issue"

opinion

News

Featured in opinion

I dreamed of becoming a Marine my entire life. Then I learned I was undocumented

How to build more resilient and innovative US special operations teams

It’s time for a post-9/11 veteran to lead the VA

‘You either went to war or you didn’t’ — How deployments divide the veteran community

The Commandant of the Marine Corps is charging into the future, but some aren’t ready for change

The unanswered questions from Australia’s harrowing war crimes report

Clint Lorance ordered me to kill Afghan civilians. I still live with that guilt today

Families like mine risked our lives for US troops abroad. Now America is abandoning us

‘I’m here for the money’ — My life as a Blackwater mercenary

Special Forces needs to go back to basics to win against China and Russia

Why I blew the whistle on the forceful clearing of Lafayette Square

What leaders can do now to strengthen US special operations forces

My brother Austin asked me to go to Syria with him. Four months later, he was taken

Our country needs to rekindle the unity we felt after September 11th

I learned to understand shame after losing my brother on September 11th

I was in the wrong fight in Iraq. As an immigration lawyer, I found the right one

3 years after the Fitzgerald and McCain collisions, the Navy’s surface warfare community shows few signs of change

What the Russian bounties story reveals about the limits of human intelligence collection

The Pentagon has a plan to include more women in national security. Here’s what that means — and why it matters

Americans need to know how many of its troops are in harm’s way

US civil-military relations: a flawed deal in desperate need of repair

Why service members might disobey Trump’s orders to occupy US cities

The case for rethinking the politicization of the military

It’s time to rename Fort Benning for Alwyn Cashe

The deafening silence of veteran service organizations on Black Lives Matter