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Task & Purpose. News, culture, and analysis by and for the military community.

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Right: Terry McIntosh, kneeling, with retired Lt. Col. Al Kittredge at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in June 2026. Left: An undated photo of McIntosh during his time in the Army.
Army

At 18, he fought with Green Berets in Vietnam. Now, he finally has his Special Forces tab.

At 18 in Vietnam, Terry McIntosh fought as a Special Forces soldier, though it wasn’t until this year that his service as a Green Beret was officially recognized.

Capers Ripley Dockery 2026
Marine Corps

Three officers who overcame desperate odds receive Medals of Honor

Two Marines who served heroically in Vietnam and an Army officer who used his body to shield a soldier in Afghanistan received the award.

After two full days and nights of events to test their stamina, technical prowess and mental acuity, the remaining teams crossed the finish line April 12, 2026 at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus Georgia, concluding the 2026 Best Ranger Competition. Sgt. Drew Schorsh and Spc. Caleb Godbold, representing the 75th Ranger Regiment, was the winning team. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick A. Albright)
Army

Specialist and sergeant win Best Ranger competition for first time in nearly 40 years

“We had each other’s back, and knew that when one of us was in trouble, the other was there to carry the load.”

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Thousands of sailors may stay in RVs, trailers, commercial apartments or other temporary housing while the Navy renovates barracks across multiple bases.
Navy

Sailors could live in RVs or houseboats as Navy overhauls barracks

The Navy said it would consider apartments, “man camps,” RVs and even houseboats for sailors displaced during an overhaul of “unaccompanied housing” barracks.

Caption: F-16s with the 480th Fighter Squadron fly over Germany in 2024. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessica Sanchez-Chen.
Air Force

How ‘Wild Weasel’ missions became essential in the fight with Iran

Anti-air defenses pose a real risk to American aircraft, which is why certain units specialize in taking them out.

Navy Transfer Policy
Navy

Navy changes its transfer policy in response to sailor’s death

“This revision was taken as a result of reviews by the Navy in the wake of the murder of Petty Officer 3rd Class Angelina Resendiz by a fellow sailor,” a Navy spokesman said.

The Navy is requiring certain groups of active duty and Reserve sailors to get the flu vaccine after the force-wide mandate was taken away in April.
Navy

Navy reinstates some flu vaccine rules months after Pentagon ended mandate

The new policy reinstates flu vaccine requirements for deployments and among officer candidates. A boot camp mandate for new enlisted sailors returned in June.

U.S. Airmen participate in a 2-mile run during a physical fitness assessment at Travis Air Force Base, California, July 15, 2026. Aerobic fitness assessments measure cardiovascular endurance and overall physical readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenneth Abbate) 
Air Force

What the Air Force’s waist-to-height deadline means for airmen

The waist-to-height assessment, due by the end of the month, won’t be scored, the Air Force says.

the Pentagon quietly reduced the number of US troops it acknowledges to have been wounded in the Iran war.
Middle East

Pentagon reveals hundreds of new Iran war casualties

More than 600 troops have been wounded in the Iran war, officials disclosed Saturday, almost 200 more than previously known.

Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Cole Boydston, from Kansas, assigned to combat systems, operates a site TV board aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) while underway in the Philippine Sea, July 11, 2026. The George Washington Carrier Strike Group is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. George Washington is the U.S. Navy’s premiere forward-deployed aircraft carrier, a long-standing symbol of the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, while operating alongside allies and partners across the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicolas Quezada) 
Navy

Navy redesignates Information Professionals as ‘Communications Systems Warfare Officers’

Navy Information Professionals are now “Communications Systems Warfare Officers.” The Navy called it a “direct warfighting imperative.”

A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, Multi-Domain Command - Pacific, fires a Spike Non-Line of Sight missile at the USS Mobile Bay for a Sink Exercise during Rim of the Pacific in Hawaii, July 11, 2026. Thirty nations, over 30 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 206 aircraft and 30,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 24 to July 31. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2026 is the 30th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Christian Morton)
Navy

Army helicopters, Navy drones sink two retired ships at RIMPAC

The Army, Air Force and Navy joined troops from other nations in blowing up the decommissioned USS Mobile Bay and USS Peleliu.

Image: Trucks exit from Port Newark Container Terminal in Newark, New Jersey on July 24, 2026. US President Donald Trump slapped sweeping new tariffs on 60 trading partners and saw 25-percent duties take effect on Brazilian products. Both cases involved an authority that has previously been used to impose levies. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP via Getty Images) 
Veterans

Transportation Department wants veterans to become truck drivers

The “Freedom Hauler” campaign seeks to get veterans who drove heavy vehicles in the military to haul freight.

The Pentagon nominated Lt. Gen. Kevin Admiral to replace Gen. Christopher Donahue as the top Army officer for Europe and Africa. Admiral is currently the commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood.
Army

Pentagon picks Lt. Gen. Kevin Admiral to lead Army Europe and Africa

The current III Armored Corps commander is tapped to replace Gen. Chris Donahue, who announced last month he would retire earlier than expected.

National Guardsmen deployed Washington, D.C. will be housed in corporate-style apartments, officials announced.
National Guard

National Guard will spend $290 million on apartments for Washington troops

Originally a mission for 800 National Guardsmen, there are now 4,750 troops are assigned to the Washington, D.C., mobilization. A new housing contract runs for three years.

With the Tinker control tower in the background, an F-35 Lightning II aircraft takes off at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Oct. 22, 2021. The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex's Heavy Maintenance Center performs all aspects of engine maintenance on the F135 engine, including all variants and for all partner nations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Paul Shirk)
News

Shortage of military air traffic controllers impacts safety, mission, watchdog says

For the Air Force in particular, their controllers make about 43% less than their counterparts working at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Medical Education and Training Campus
News

Dorms for 5,200 enlisted medical students to be demolished due to ‘foundational defects’

Because the “foundational defects” with the dormitories cannot be fixed through regular repairs, the buildings will be demolished, a base spokesperson said.

Marine Corps 31st MEU
Iran

The US is in another asymmetric war in the Middle East

“What are we trying to do to Iran? We’re trying to impose pain. What is Iran trying to do to us? They’re trying to impose costs. Those are two different things.”

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Michael Lorenz, left, a drill instructor with India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, inspects a recruit during a senior drill instructor inspection at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, May 22, 2025. The SDI inspection is the first several inspections recruits will undergo throughout the duration of their training at MCRD San Diego and aims to ensure the recruits are upholding the orders given to them. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sarah M. Grawcock)
News

Hazing could soon become a specific charge under military law

Congress is debating a rule in next year’s defense bill that would direct the Pentagon to consider making hazing a specific charge in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Rony Molina, a spectrum manager with I Marine Expeditionary Force, records discrepancies during a barracks inspection in support of Operation Clean Sweep II at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, March 24, 2025. Part of the larger Barracks 360 Reset initiative, OCS II builds upon the success of the first iteration by sustaining elevated barracks conditions and further transforming our organizational culture by reinvesting our time, resources, training and efforts into the barracks. Molina is a native of El Paso, Texas (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jordan Searls)
Marine Corps

Enlisted Marines in the US will not be getting single barracks rooms

The only enlisted barracks with individual rooms for Marines from the rank of E1 to E4 will be built in Japan, a Marine Corps official said.

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Tech & Tactics

The commander of the Blue Angels said Thursday that a low pass over a Pensacola, Florida, beach was "unsafe."
Navy

Blue Angels commander calls beach flyover ‘unsafe’

Army

Army helicopter pilots to take solo flights in training for first time in decades

Navy

Navy ship honors sailor from famed North Korea rescue mission

Navy

US uses drone boats for first time in latest Iran strikes

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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.

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