Paul Szoldra is the editor-in-chief of Task & Purpose. A former Marine infantryman, his past bylines include Business Insider and We Are The Mighty. He is also the founder of Duffel Blog.
U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Osterman, the commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force, speaks to Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) during a visit aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4). Marines and Sailors with the 11th MEU are conducting routine operations as part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group in the eastern Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Dalton S. Swanbeck)
The Marine Corps' top general on the west coast is readying his Marines for the next big war against a near peer competitor, and one of his main concerns is figuring out how to alter the mindset of troops that have been fighting insurgencies since 9/11.
"If anything my problem is getting people out of the mindset of [counterterrorism] and making sure they're thinking about near peer adversaries in their training programs," Lt. Gen. Joseph Osterman, commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, California, told Task & Purpose in an interview on Friday.
A member of the Taliban holds a flag in Kabul, Afghanistan June 16, 2018. The writing on the flag reads: 'There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah'. (Reuters/Mohammad Ismail)
The Taliban captured 150 Afghan soldiers after they tried fleeing into neighboring Turkmenistan and were forced back, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
The search for the Marine lieutenant missing in the California mountains for nearly two weeks is being scaled back to a "limited continuous search status" since rescuers have been unable to locate him along his planned route.
1st Lt. Matthew Kraft, 24, was reported missing to law enforcement after failing to make his return date while skiing and hiking the Sierra High Route in central California. His itinerary began Feb. 23 at the Kearsarge Pass trailhead and he was scheduled to finish around March 4 or 5 at Bridgeport, California, according to a press release from the 1st Marine Division.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with U.S. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan along with other top miltiary and civilan leadership at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 15, 2019. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Angelita M. Lawrence)
The White House released the most painfully obvious statement about President Donald Trump visiting the Pentagon on Friday.
According to White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, per the pool report, "Today at the Pentagon, the President received a briefing conducted by military officials and members of his national security team."
Whatever happened to that guy who allegedly stole an APC and went on an epic joy ride through Virginia, with police chasing him as he apparently live-tweeted the incident?
That's a very good question! And I have an update for you, which includes more weird/hilarious tweets and new accusations that he violated the terms of his bond and traveled to Iraq.
U.S. military aircraft effectively "wiped out" an Afghan military checkpoint in Tarin Kot on Wednesday after soldiers there mistakenly fired on a joint patrol of Afghan and American troops, according to The New York Times.
