Gina Harkins

Gina Harkins previously covered the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard for Military.com. She has covered troops and their families for nearly a decade, reporting from the U.S., Central and South America, and at sea. Before joining Military.com, Gina was a longtime reporter and managing editor for the independent Marine Corps Times. Her story on two recruits trapped at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina was runner up for the 2013 Military Reporters and Editors award for domestic military coverage. She holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and studied political science and international relations in her undergrad at Northeastern Illinois University.

Latest Articles

Why the USS Cole's Commander Pushed to Keep His Crew Together After Deadly Bombing

On Oct. 12, 2000, two suicide bombers in a small boat laden with explosives targeted the guided-missile destroyer Cole.

Marines Send More Embassy Guards to Haiti as Riots Turn Deadly

A squad-sized Marine detachment arrived in Haiti to bolster security at the U.S. embassy there as protests turned violent.

Amazon, SpaceX Leaders Will Headline Major Air Force Conference

Two business executives leading space travel and technology advancements will speak at the Air Force Association conference.

Ronald Shurer, Medal of Honor Recipient Who Died of Cancer at 41, to Be Laid to Rest at Arlington

Shurer died in May at the age of 41 after a years-long lung cancer battle.

Troops and Military Families Call for Change After El Paso, Dayton Shootings

"My family shouldn't be the ones who feel like they are in a combat zone."

Commissaries Limit Toilet Paper, Other Sales as Shoppers Hoard Supplies

Limitations will change from store to store, but directors are authorized to place restrictions on certain products.

The Military Doesn't Bar Troops from Being Members of Hate Groups. That Could Change

"Active participation" in groups that advocate supremacist, extremist or criminal gang ideologies is prohibited.

Trump Says Fired Navy Captain 'Wanted to Be Ernest Hemingway' in Warning Letter

Trump declined to offer his thoughts on whether Crozier should be reinstated as commanding officer of the USS Roosevelt.

Sgt. 1st Class Reymund Transfiguracion, with 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), died Sunday following wounds sustained during an Aug. 7 patrol in Afghanistan's Helmand province. (Army photo)

Army Special Forces Soldier Dies After IED Blast in Afghanistan

A Washington-based Special Forces soldier has died from wounds caused by an improvised explosive device.

A CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 465, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, flies back to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar during the Marine Air-Ground Task Force demonstration at the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show on MCAS Miramar, Calif., Sept. 29, 2018. (U.S. Marine Corps photo/Julian Elliott-Drouin)

Four Marines Safe After Super Stallion Helicopter Catches Fire Mid-Flight

Four Marines were able to get out of a heavy lift helicopter safely after it made an emergency landing just miles from their...

Navy Esports Team to Resume Streaming on Twitch After Trolling Caused Weeklong Hiatus

The Navy is standing by its decision to block some users on its livestreaming channel.

U.S. Marines play a game of Memoir 44’ on Camp Schwab, Okinawa.

The Marines Are Pumping Millions into a High-Tech Wargaming Center. Here's Why

A new Marine Corps Wargaming and Analysis Center is expected to be up and running in Quantico, Virginia, by 2024.

A Navy esports team player holds a game controller.

Navy Kicks Sailor Off Esports Team After Racist Usernames Appear in Game Stream

A sailor has been kicked off Goats and Glory, the Navy's official esports team that streams on the video platform Twitch.

The fast-attack submarine Hampton surfaces through the ice in the Arctic. U.S. 2nd Fleet, which declared initial operational capability on Wednesday, now oversees all military missions and training on the East Coast and in the North Atlantic, where the Russians and Chinese have been active. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler Thompson/Navy)

Navy's 2nd Fleet, Brought Back to Counter Russia, Is Now Officially Operational

The Navy's 2nd Fleet has reached initial operational capacity, its commander announced Wednesday.

Thomas Webster at a barricade line at on the west front of the U.S. Capitol

Marines, Infantry Most Highly Represented Among Veterans Arrested After Capitol Riot

More than 40% of the 32 veterans arrested after the Capitol riot are affiliated with the Marines.

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Most Popular Military News

Dwight D. Eisenhower was a central figure in American politics and the military during much of the 20th century.

Trump Is Renaming 7 Army Installations. Here Are the Stories Behind the Names Being Scrubbed.

President Donald Trump's announcement is the administration's latest move in its concerted effort to shift the people and...

Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd speaks to the media

Veteran Who Fired at Gunman and Inadvertently Killed Utah Protester Was a Safety Volunteer, Organizers Say

Police said that the permit for the protest did not specify that there would be armed security, and that the role and...

Air Force swearing-in ceremony in Times Square, New York

Air Force Lowered Annual Recruiting Goal Due to Budget Woes, But Still on Track to Hit Target This Month

The Air Force had to reduce its target recruiting goal by several thousand airmen due to ongoing congressional budget delays...

Photo courtesy of Ayssac Correa/Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett of The War Horse

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For tens of thousands of U.S. service members with undocumented family members, there’s no guaranteed protection from...

Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television

Air Force's Bunker-Buster Bomb Could Take Out Iran Nuclear Facility, But Israel Hints at Other Options

The Israeli campaign to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons will be considered a failure if the centrifuges deep...

Starting point of the U.S. Army 250th Birthday in Washington, D.C.

The Army Parade Was Marked by Quiet Crowds, Trump-Linked Sponsors. But Soldiers Kept Politics at Bay.

Despite the mixed feelings, the Army birthday parade was also an overdue opportunity to engage with the public and highlight...

Latest Military Videos

Noem Vows to Continue Trump's Immigration Crackdown as Judge Says Guard Deployment Was Illegal

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order directing President Donald Trump to return control of the National Guard...

Israeli Strikes on Iran Damage Residential Buildings in Tehran

Israel launched a major attack on Iran, bringing their long-running shadow war into the open conflict in a way...

NATO Chief Calls for De-escalation in Region as Israel Attacks Iran

NATO chief Mark Rutte called for de-escalation in the Middle East on Friday after Israel launched strikes on Iran...

Israel Attacks Iran's Nuclear and Missile Sites, AP Explains

Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday in strikes that targeted the country’s nuclear program and killed at least two...

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

Army News

Fort Carson's Museum Slated for Potential Closure

The 4th Infantry Division Museum outside Fort Carson's gate 1 is slated for closure as the Army Museum Enterprise shutters...

(Senior Airman Jessi Monte/U.S. Air Force photo)

How Much Weekly Running Is Advisable for Military Special Operations Training?

It's better to build your cardio so that running a 7-minute mile pace for 4--6 miles feels sustainable, rather than just...

Navy News

Gavel and American flag with scales of justice.

'Fat Leonard' Argues in Newly Unsealed Appeal That San Diego Judge Sentenced Him Too Harshly

The swaggering con man known as “Fat Leonard” because of his size was sentenced in November in San Diego federal court on...

Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett of The War Horse

A Navy Veteran Is Determined to Find His Own Way Through PTSD—Without VA

Each appointment with VA was another nail sealing the coffin shut, suffocating any hope that they could help me.

Air Force News

Air Force Lowered Annual Recruiting Goal Due to Budget Woes, But Still on Track to Hit Target This Month

The Air Force had to reduce its target recruiting goal by several thousand airmen due to ongoing congressional budget delays...

Air Force's Bunker-Buster Bomb Could Take Out Iran Nuclear Facility, But Israel Hints at Other Options

The Israeli campaign to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons will be considered a failure if the centrifuges deep...

Space Force News

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong speaks at Drake State Community and Technical College

Trump Talks Space Command Move to Alabama in Video Posted to Social Media

President Donald Trump was talking to U.S. Rep. Dale Strong when he seemed to confirm U.S. Space Command’s headquarters was...

Five of the Air and Space Force’s newest officers stand at attention during a University of New Mexico Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 510 Commissioning Ceremony at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, N.M., May 16, 2025. During the ceremony, five of the Air and Space Force’s newest officers were sworn into service. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Spencer Kanar)

How to Become a Space Force Officer

U.S. Space Force officers, who plan and manage personnel, make up about half the service.

Marine Corps News

U.S. Marines guard a federal building in Los Angeles

A Veteran Was Detained by Marines. It Highlights Concerns over the Military's Growing Ties to Law Enforcement.

Marcos Leao's detention by Marines marks what many legal, defense and policy experts say is an unprecedented violation of the...

Volunteers remove graffiti from the Japanese American Museum

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Downtown Los Angeles businesses hoped customers would return quickly after Mayor Karen Bass lifted a curfew she had imposed...

Coast Guard News

Hawaii Coast Guard Crew Wraps Up Enforcement Mission in Cook Islands

The Lane, a 270-foot Medium Class Endurance Cutter arrived in Hawaii in late 2023 to serve as the U.S. Coast Guard’s first...

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.

Report Details Long-Standing Mold Problems at Coast Guard Academy

A federal agency has released the final report of its yearslong evaluation of indoor dampness and mold at the U.S. Coast...