Submissions

Do you have something to say about the military, veterans, or U.S. national security? We’d love to hear from you.

Task & Purpose is always on the hunt for smart, fresh, and interesting ideas on military and veterans affairs to publish to a broad audience of active-duty service members, veterans, and defense-interested civilians. Our ideal story is thoughtful and voicey, opinionated but rooted in fact, and has a flare of skepticism regarding the current state of military and veterans affairs in the United States. 

Past examples include: 

  • Original reporting or critical analysis on current affairs, comprehensive and authoritative in its scope.
  • Myth-busting i.e. what is the wider culture getting wrong.
  • Personal stories that reflect larger issues in the military and veterans community, i.e. stories about what makes the U.S. military great, infuriating, stupid, brilliant, innovative, unintentionally funny, brave or weak.

We are not looking for: Hot takes, rehashing of recent news without additional context or analysis, and substanceless listicles.

For op-ed contributors:

Task & Purpose is looking for smart, fresh, and interesting ideas on military and veterans affairs to publish to a broad audience of active-duty service members, veterans, and defense-interested civilians.

We welcome submissions from analysts, observers, current and former members of the military, and others with expertise to lend their insights to a number of critical issues.

Past subjects for op-eds have included: the VA and veterans health care, veteran suicide, white nationalism in the military, racism, and sexism in the ranks, and the portrayal of veterans and the military in popular culture, among other topics.

The ideal Task & Purpose story is thoughtful and voicey, opinionated but rooted in fact, with a flare of skepticism regarding the current state of military and veterans affairs in the United States. We generally try to steer clear of personal essays or pieces that are opinion-heavy that aren’t based in evidence or personal experience. 

Some past examples of op-eds include:

Opinion pieces are unpaid.

Please email your pitch to editor@taskandpurpose.com.

Please understand that we receive many email submissions and tips every day, so we are unable to respond to everyone. If you do not hear back within a week, it’s safe to assume your submission isn’t the right fit.