Paul Johnson crossed the finish line of his 3,000 mile long transcontinental run at Times Square in New York City, New York, on April 21, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Paul Johnson). New York City is known as the city that never sleeps, and the traffic alone is a force to reckon with. But when U.S. Navy officer Paul Johnson ran into the city on his final day of a 3,000-mile transcontinental run, the NYPD cleared the city streets of all traffic so he could cross the finish line in Times Square.  “We didn’t see a single car the whole time we were running, which was pretty insane,” Johnson said ..read more

The commanding general of Fort Carson has ordered supervisors on the base to limit off-hours work texts to soldiers. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Whitney Gillespie. An Army general has decreed that his soldiers no longer need to be chained to their phones after hours to respond to messages about work. Army Maj. Gen. David S. Doyle, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, has created a safe harbor, during which managers cannot send soldiers work-related texts, chats, or messages outside of active mission requirements, Doyle wrote in an April 22 policy l ..read more

Throw Flame's robot dog equipped with its AFC flamethrower, known as the Thermonator. Photo from the company's Instagram page. Prepare to update the safety brief again: a flame-throwing robot dog can now be yours for less than $10,000. The Thermonator is the first-ever robot dog equipped with the ARC Flamethrower “to deliver on-demand fire anywhere.” The company behind the dog, Throw Flame, has made a name for itself creating commercial flame throwing devices like the TF-19 WASP, drone flamethrower attachment. The ARC Flamethrower, which is attached to the robot dog, can send 30-foot-long str ..read more

Over half of those enrolled in a government subsidy for discount internet are veterans or active duty troops. Now that subsidy may dry up. Millions of veterans and service members will lose internet access when a federal subsidy runs out at the end of April, VA officials say. The program, known as the Affordable Connectivity Program, ACP, is a Federal Communications Commission subsidy that offers broadband discounts up to $30 per month toward internet service. “One in six families are enrolled in the program, and nearly half of those are military families,” said Department of Veterans Affairs ..read more

(Graphic courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.). Two Marines have died in separate on-duty incidents five days apart, one of whom was killed in a parachute mishap during a training exercise, Corps officials said. Both deaths underscore the inherently dangerous daily reality of military life. “Safety is a priority for the Marine Corps, we train our Marines to the highest standards to ensure we are accomplishing our mission in a safe and professional manner,” Marine Corps spokesman Ryan Bruce told Task & Purpose. “The loss of these Marines has impacts across our Corps and we offer our sinceres ..read more

From left to right, Keith Dow; Leo Jenkins; Paul Alkoby; and Tyler Carroll. (Dead Reckoning photo/Paul Alkoby). The end of the War on Terror has left many searching for ways to reckon with their time at war. For veterans who have found that outlet in poetry a veteran-owned publisher, is looking for submissions for the third installment of its Anthology of Poet Warriors, “So Long.”  The anthology is the latest project for Keith Dow and Tyler Carroll, who founded The Dead Reckoning Collective as an outlet for veteran authors. “We hope it brings closure and peace to veterans who may have so ..read more

Army Lt. Col. Lt. Col. Eric Ackles, shown in this October 2023 video, was fired as commander of 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. (Staff Sgt. Paul Abacon/U.S. Army). The commander of an Army air defense unit in Germany that was activated in October has been fired following an investigation, a spokesman for 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command confirmed on Wednesday. “On April 22, 2024, Lt. Col. Eric Ackles was relieved of command after a thorough investigation was conducted,” Army Capt. Alec Watkins told Task & Purpose. “Lt. Col. Ackles was relieved due to a loss of ..read more

A U.S. Army Green Beret with 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), tracks his target during a field exercise hosted by the Marine Low Altitude Air Defense Unit on Sept. 9, 2021 at Okinawa, Japan. (U.S. Army photo). During the War on Terror, the military could conduct operations unhindered due to complete air superiority. The modern battlefield in Ukraine has proven that air superiority is no longer guaranteed, so U.S. Special Forces are preparing accordingly.  The U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (SWCS) has brought older weapons of war — including the Stinger su ..read more

Air Force Lt. Col. Nicole L. Mitchell is commander of the 126th Weather Flight, a Wisconsin Air National Guard unit. She was arrested for burglary in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on April 22, 2024. An Air National Guard lieutenant colonel who is also a Minnesota state senator was charged with burglary after being arrested at her stepmother’s home on Monday, court records show. Nicole L. Mitchell is currently commander of the 126th Weather Flight, a Wisconsin Air National Guard unit, according to her official biography.  She is responsible for meteorological and tactical training, developing ..read more

Over 100 nonconsensual sexual videos of U.S. service members stationed at Naval Base Guam were uploaded to an explicit videos site where they were publicly viewable for about a week in 2020, according to recently unsealed documents that are part of a federal and Navy investigation. The videos appeared to capture the military members masturbating while unaware they were being filmed by hidden cameras. The videos appeared to be taken both aboard Navy ships and at a location “believed to be the men’s restroom of the Liberty Center aboard Naval Base Guam,” according to court documents. The images ..read more