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.

Military News

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Get the latest on pay updates, benefit changes and award-winning military content. Right in your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice.

Thank you for subscribing!

View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page.

One last step.

Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to:

Most Popular Military News

Reporter uses phone to record Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder

Hegseth Restricts Press Access at Pentagon, Says Journalists Will Be Required to Sign Pledge

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken yet another step to curtail the work of the press inside the Pentagon by imposing...

Here Are All the Big Cuts and Changes Coming to the Army

The service's aim is to streamline the force while investing in emerging technologies that Army officials say are critical to...

Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington

Veterans' VA Referrals to Private Medical Care Will No Longer Require Additional Doctor Review

The VA announced that it is enacting a provision of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits...

An American flag is folded during the interment for U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan

WWII Bomber Crash Left 11 Dead and 'Non-Recoverable.' 4 Are Finally Coming Home

More than 200 people honored Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan, some waving flags from the sidewalk during the procession to the...

New Mexico National Defense Area sign emplacement mission

Pentagon Sends 1,100 More Troops to Border in Continued Mission Ramp-Up

The Pentagon is sending 1,115 additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border from over half a dozen units across the different...

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies as the House Intelligence Committee.

The Fatal Cost of Twisting Intelligence

Tulsi Gabbard's firing of top intelligence analysts sets a very bad precedent.

Latest Military Videos

TFR 238 - Saving Your Nostalgic History While Serving with Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols and Stew Smith created a fun podcast with this topic and share many of there keepsakes from...

General Discharge Recon Training-Rucking Package

Recon rucking package from General Discharge box opening video. Check it out. I give this one five stars.

It is On YOU to Get Through Training

Are you preparing for the rigorous demands of military special operations or law enforcement SWAT training?

TFR 246 - Dan WIllis - 30 Yr Police Capt SWAT Commander Teaches Us About EMDR (PTS Relief)

Dan walks us through his career and calling to serve and many of the things he has learned in...

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

Daughter Finds Army Vet Mother Dead in Homeless Camp. Was It Overdose or Death?

Lucrecia Macias Barajas, 46, was found dead May 12 by one of her three daughters after she traced her mother's cellphone to a...

Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley is the head of U.S. Africa Command.

US Military Shifts Messaging in Africa, Telling Allies to Prepare to Stand More on Their Own

The shift comes as the U.S. military makes moves to "build a leaner, more lethal force,” including potentially cutting...

Navy News

Graphic rendering of the future USS Lafayette

Navy Fires Admiral Who Ran Office Overseeing Unmanned Systems, Small Ships

Rear Adm. Kevin Smith was relieved from leadership of the program office by Dr. Brett Seidle, acting assistant secretary of...

U.S. Army soldiers cross a floating bridge on the Imjin River

The US Military Spent $6 Billion in the Past 3 Years to Recruit and Retain Troops

The services tailor their recruiting and retention money to bolster harder-to-fill jobs, including cyber, intelligence and...

Air Force News

"Pratt & Whitney Dependable Engines" emblem at the plant in East Hartford

Jet-Engine Maker Pratt & Whitney's Machinists Approve New Contract, End Strike

Pratt & Whitney's approximately 3,100 machinists at its plants in Connecticut had been on strike since May 5, in their first...

U.S. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, the U.S. Space Command command senior enlisted leader, speaks with members of the 19th Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Space Force Base

After Delays, Hundreds of Full-Time Air Force Reservists Preparing to Transfer to Space Force

After delays, hundreds of full-time Air Force reservists are preparing to join the Space Force this year, while the plan for...

Space Force News

After Delays, Hundreds of Full-Time Air Force Reservists Preparing to Transfer to Space Force

After delays, hundreds of full-time Air Force reservists are preparing to join the Space Force this year, while the plan for...

Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee about joint force readiness on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Trump Names Space Force Vice Chief to Oversee Golden Dome Missile Defense Project

President Donald Trump has named a four-star Space Force general to oversee the development of Golden Dome -- the massively...

Marine Corps News