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Army to spend $465 million on ‘Group 3 killer’ anti-drone laser
The LOCUST X 3, a 30-kilowatt laser, is designed to shoot down the type of drones that U.S. troops in the Middle East have faced since the Iran war began.
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Sailor asks Navy leaders if service will pay for haircuts under grooming push
In a town hall with the Navy’s top admiral and enlisted advisor, sailors asked about long deployments, barracks issues, and a haircut allowance.
The Army’s new drone-first soldiers are already graduating from training school
The Army is training about 30 soldiers in every class in the 15X Military Occupational Specialty, or MOS, at a base in Arizona to be tactical unmanned aircraft system specialists.
Tracking America’s latest conflict: The Iran war timeline
To date, 18 American service members have been killed and hundreds more wounded.
Iran, US trade strikes in first fighting in a month
Iranian forces fired missiles at American positions in Jordan following U.S. strikes on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Army extends 82nd Airborne Division’s Middle East deployment to a full year
Paratroopers and other soldiers from the division will stay in the region due to “operational requirements” as the Iran war reaches six months.
Air Force ‘immediately’ stops use of Minuteman III communications testers after chemical exposure
Inspectors found potential traces polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs on several ICBM communications sensors used at F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
Acting Navy secretary orders Marines to bring a family home after military spouse’s plea
Hung Cao directed the Marines to bring a family back to the U.S. after a spouse expressed concern over being stuck in Germany in a divorce.
US to pull additional combat troops from Nigeria
Combat forces deployed to fight the Islamic State in Nigeria earlier this year. This is the second drawdown in two months.
Navy has cleared mines from the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM says
The declaration comes six months into the war with Iran and four months after the U.S. said it was starting mine clearance operations.
Marines board, sink alleged drug ship off Ecuador
The interdiction is the first direct action against suspected drug traffickers by the USS San Antonio and Littoral Combat Force-24 since they entered the eastern Pacific this month.
Trump signs order to create a space service academy
The new academy would train Space Force members as well as NASA personnel.
Marines are now allowed to wear class rings in uniform
New guidance on uniform regulations lets Marines wear class rings alongside wedding rings.
USS Abraham Lincoln sailor could be disciplined for jumping overboard
The sailor could face nonjudicial punishment, a disciplinary hearing that is neither a criminal conviction nor a court-martial.
In Iceland, Air Force special ops crews test gliders for resupply
Air Force crews trained to resupply troops on the ground with cargo gliders, which can be dropped from the rear of MC-130J cargo planes and then fly themselves to a waiting team.
Jonny Kim, Navy astronaut, doctor and former SEAL, departs NASA
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jonny Kim’s last day with NASA is Thursday. He is returning to active duty in the Navy, where he will be involved with naval flight training.
Navy offers senior special warfare sailors up to $100,000 bonuses
The bonus is available to eligible chief warrant officers in the special warfare (SEAL) and special warfare combat crewmen career fields.
Task & Purpose was founded in 2014 to cover the military and veteran community from a rank-and-file perspective, and continues to do so with accurate reporting and great storytelling to this day. Our journalists have reported on the front lines of the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota and the war in Afghanistan. We’ve uncovered American veterans being abused in Kuwaiti prisons, deported veterans being forced to work for Mexican cartels, and drawn national attention to a longstanding legal rule barring service members from suing the government — even in the face of gross negligence.
