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

Air defense artillery, radars, munitions, weapon systems, and armored vehicles are headed to Ukraine after months of military aid was stalled in Congress amid warnings by senior military officials in early April that the Ukrainians were weeks away from being outgunned by the Russians. On Tuesday night, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a package to deliver $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The National Security supplemental aid provides roughly $26 billion for Israel, $61 billion for Ukraine and $8 billion for U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific — namely Taiwan.  The ..read more

FILE: sailors aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta stand in formation during a remembrance ceremony for the Solomon Islands campaign. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel Serianni/U.S. Navy). The good news for sailors looking for a nice cash bonus to reenlist is that those in one rating — cyber warfare technicians — are seeing a major increase in reenlistment bonuses and are now eligible for a whopping $100,000. The not-so-good news is that there are only 22 of those sailors in the Navy who are eligible. But across the fleet, bonuses are up or ..read more

For the first time in the history of the Army’s Best Sapper Competition, two captains from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell won back-to-back years. U.S. Army photo by Amanda Sullivan. Two captains from the 101st Airborne Division are now the first two soldiers to win the Army’s Best Sapper competition two years in a row. Capts. Matthew Cushing and Joseph Palazini, both company commanders in the 21st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Campbell, outlasted teams from 3rd Ranger Battalion and two cadets from West Point to win the four-day competition ..read more