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Task & Purpose
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News, culture, and analysis by and for the military community. Got a tip or story? Send it here →
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The military will now do grocery delivery for 70 on-base commissaries across the US trib.al/SOw1fsl
The military will now do grocery delivery for 70 on-base commissaries across the US
Troops and their families will be able to order groceries online from 70 base commissaries and have them delivered by the end of January.
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January 16, 2026 at 12:31 PM
VA watchdog issues warning on AI use by medical staff trib.al/rWntaL2
VA watchdog issues warning on AI use by medical staff
Two AI chat tools, including Microsoft Copilot, are in use at the VA but have not been reviewed by patient safety offices.
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January 15, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Top enlisted soldier says he got ‘over my skis’ on new Army PT uniform trib.al/3IxOLkx
Top enlisted soldier says he got 'over my skis' on new Army PT uniform
Army leaders said they haven’t replaced the PT uniform because doing so would cost money, and they have to prioritize which problems to fix.
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January 15, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Pentagon officials blame government shutdown for delaying annual suicide report trib.al/1hx1qNu
Pentagon officials blame government shutdown for delaying annual suicide report
The report, which was due to be released in the fall, has been delayed. Pentagon officials claim it’s due to the recent government shutdown.
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January 15, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Navy and Marine aviation accidents doubled amid Red Sea fight trib.al/3L0avhN
Navy and Marine aviation accidents doubled amid Red Sea fight
Aviation mishaps among the Navy and Marines nearly doubled, something experts warn is an inherent risk of sustained operations.
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January 15, 2026 at 1:56 PM
What is a Lucky Box and why is there one at the Pentagon? trib.al/SKt7hR7
What is a Lucky Box and why is there one at the Pentagon?
The company that makes the machines announced on Christmas Eve that a Lucky Box is now inside the Pentagon
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January 14, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Veterans defend Afghan ally programs as Trump closes doors trib.al/00M52Us
Veterans defend Afghan ally programs as Trump closes doors
Veterans say political fallout around a November shooting of two National Guardsmen has shuttered established Afghan resettlement efforts.
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January 14, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Osprey crew credited with rapid reaction during engine failure mishap trib.al/Ad8fZn5
Osprey crew credited with rapid reaction during engine failure mishap
The crew of an Air Force CV-22 Osprey that suffered a hard landing in late 2024 had just completed safety training on similar mishaps.
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January 13, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Here’s why a Fort Bragg dining facility got an ‘F’ sanitation rating trib.al/DpxecXB
Here's why a Fort Bragg dining facility got an 'F' sanitation rating
The Providers Warrior Restaurant received an “F” on a Jan. 6 inspection. Corrections by staff have since raised the grade to a "C."
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January 13, 2026 at 6:19 PM
The Army wants soldiers to travel less for training, do more in virtual reality trib.al/zfpMoV0
The Army wants soldiers to travel less for training, do more in virtual reality
Army leaders say they are expanding virtual training to cut down on temporary duty assignments where soldiers travel for skill training.
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January 13, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Twin Air Force pilots connect in refueling flight over the Pacific trib.al/xDoJ4mh
Twin Air Force pilots connect in refueling flight over the Pacific
The brothers, one a KC-135 refueling pilot, the other an F-35 fighter pilot, met in the sky on a refueling mission in December.
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January 13, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Pentagon announces new way military will measure troops’ body fat trib.al/MTBrm2B
Pentagon announces new way military will measure troops' body fat
Troops must have a waist measurement close to or less than half their height or risk being placed in their service's remedial programs.
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January 12, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Fight between Kelly and Hegseth over ‘unlawful orders’ video headed to court trib.al/fBGYIjZ
Fight between Kelly and Hegseth over ‘unlawful orders’ video headed to court
Sen. Mark Kelly sued Hegseth and the Pentagon, saying actions against him would cause a chilling effect on veterans' speech.
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January 12, 2026 at 9:13 PM
An A-10 taking part in Syria airstrikes sports ‘Metroid’ nose art trib.al/wQVOSCe
An A-10 taking part in Syria airstrikes sports ‘Metroid’ nose art
Warthogs have been a major part of recent U.S. operations against ISIS in Syria, including this A-10 paying homage to a video game character.
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January 12, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Missile defense base dealing with ‘critical’ disruptions at its dining facility trib.al/tQlm42F
Missile defense base dealing with ‘critical' disruptions at its dining facility
Federal worker buyouts, retirements and not enough MREs left soldiers at Fort Greely with limited food services for more than two months.
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January 11, 2026 at 7:52 PM
US, Jordanian air forces conduct dozens of airstrikes in Syria against ISIS trib.al/E4N8bat
US, Jordanian air forces conduct dozens of airstrikes in Syria against ISIS
They’re the first American airstrikes reported in Syria this year and the second wave of Operation Hawkeye Strike.
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January 10, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Air Force plans for new electronic warfare squadron to aid combat training trib.al/uc6pjBh
Air Force plans for new electronic warfare squadron to aid combat training
The 562nd Electronic Warfare Squadron will help airmen at Nellis Air Force Base deal with "contested electronic environments."
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January 10, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Air Force brings back job patches, which were banned last year for some reason trib.al/kVhmWIB
Air Force brings back job patches, which were banned last year for some reason
Banned a year ago to emphasize a “warfighting team,” the patches that identify an airman’s job are once again allowed on uniforms.
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January 9, 2026 at 11:07 PM
Veteran says he was seized by immigration agents on cruise in case of mistaken identity trib.al/vZFil0s
Veteran says he was seized by immigration agents on cruise in case of mistaken identity
Jose Martinez was detained by immigration agents who burst into his room on a cruise after mistaking him for someone with the same name.
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January 9, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Women in ground combat jobs say they prove their ‘effectiveness’ every day trib.al/SCgE1yM
Women in ground combat jobs say they prove their 'effectiveness' every day
Women in combat arms roles told Task & Purpose that the Pentagon’s latest review is frustrating after proving themselves for over a decade.
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January 9, 2026 at 12:32 PM
‘Exercise Sourdough’ — how the Air Force turned San Francisco into an urban evasion course trib.al/ja44ppM
‘Exercise Sourdough’ — how the Air Force turned San Francisco into an urban evasion course
Exercise Sourdough, which was recently held in San Francisco, is the Defense Department’s largest urban evasion training event.
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January 8, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Here’s why the Navy is planning to turn a Coast Guard cutter into a frigate trib.al/ulRjLR3
Here’s why the Navy is planning to turn a Coast Guard cutter into a frigate
Since entering service in 2008, Legend-class cutters have shown they are formidable ships, and they have a proven design.
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January 8, 2026 at 2:59 PM
National Guard pilot admits to landing Black Hawk helicopter to pick up elk antlers trib.al/VHVmQfX
National Guard pilot admits to landing Black Hawk helicopter to pick up elk antlers
The Montana soldier entered a no-contest plea to trespassing charges for landing his helicopter on a remote ranch to collect elk antlers.
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January 7, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Air Force secretary vows support for Space Force officers who lost home in fire trib.al/qDOBGZv
Air Force secretary vows support for Space Force officers who lost home in fire
A car belonging to one of the officers was defaced with graffiti that included the messages “F**k Trump” and “F***k You Space Man.”
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January 7, 2026 at 6:57 PM
These are the first photos of the Army’s M1E3 Abrams prototype trib.al/0DsHNdO
These are the first photos of the Army's M1E3 Abrams prototype
The Army recently released photos of its prototype for the M1E3 Abrams, a replacement to the service's long-running main battle tank.
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January 7, 2026 at 3:28 PM