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

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. David Berger aboard USS Makin Island

Range of Punishments 'On the Table' for Marine Leaders After Fatal AAV Accident

Berger said when he read the findings of the first probe, "it was pretty clear to me we needed to do a follow-on...

Sailors man the rails on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan.

Fully Vaccinated Sailors Can Make Some Port Calls, Ditch Masks and Cut Quarantines

Anyone who has declined the vaccine or hasn't built up antibodies through an infection will still be required to sequester...

Royal navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

'Nicest Ship I Have Been On': Marine Colonel Sounds Off on British Aircraft Carrier

A Marine F-35B Joint Strike Fighter detachment is officially underway on a British aircraft carrier for the first time ever.

Marines pose for a photograph in front of the last tank assigned to 1st Tank Battalion.

'You Always Demonstrate True Grit:' Marines' Famous 1st Tank Battalion Folds as Mission Ends

The deactivation ceremony symbolized a bittersweet end to the mission for 1st Marine Division.

artist rendering of the guided-missile frigate FFG(X)

The Navy Will Pay $554M for Another Next-Gen Frigate, Called USS Congress

The Wisconsin-based Fincantieri Marinette Marine was awarded a contract to build the future guided-missile frigate Congress.

Forty-two ships and submarines in formation during RIMPAC Exercise 2014.

Biggest Navy Exercise in a Generation Will Include 25,000 Personnel Across 17 Time Zones

Aircraft carriers, submarines, planes, unmanned vessels, and about 25,000 personnel will participate in Large Scale Exercise...

U.S. Marine Maj. Christopher Warnagiris.

Active-Duty Marine Major Arrested After Allegedly Pushing Police Officer in Capitol Riot

Maj. Christopher Warnagiris was arrested after federal agents said he broke into the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.

Cars approach the gate at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Army Fort Jackson Trainee Arrested After Allegedly Hijacking a School Bus Full of Children

Law enforcement officials say he'll now face multiple kidnapping charges.

Marines Sank a Moving Ship When They Fired a Navy Missile from a Drone Truck

The Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System can launch naval strike missiles from the back of a modified JLTV to...

ultrasound of a Marine participant with the COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines study

Hundreds of Marines Get Heart Exams in Study About COVID's Effects on Young People

More than 460 Marines so far have volunteered to participate in the second portion of the CHARM study.

25th annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally.

Vets Group Celebrates New DC Motorcycle Ride Location After Pentagon Rejection

The new organizers for a massive motorcycle ride through the nation's capital say it will now start at RFK Stadium.

Army Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-binoculars

Marine Rifle Squads Will Test the Army's New High-Powered Night Vision Goggle-Binoculars

Marine rifle squads will evaluate the Army's Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular, which soldiers have been using since...

An F-35B Lightning II aircraft conducts nighttime aerial refueling training operation.

Marines Will Make Reports on Fatal Accidents Available in New 'Mishap Library'

The library will provide easily accessible vignettes for leaders to review "what wrong looks like."

A Marine loads a .50-caliber machine gun.

More Marines Will Test Lighter Polymer-Cased Ammunition as Experiments Expand to Fleet

Marines will get to see for themselves how lighter rounds hold up in the field.

CNO Adm. Mike Gilday and Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David H. Berger.

CNO Says Navy Department Has Strong Case for Getting Bigger Slice of Defense Budget

Gilday has for more than a year said his service needs a bigger portion of the budget to build more ships and submarines.

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Most Popular Military News

Airmen await takeoff in a C-17 Globemaster III

DoD Making Masks Mandatory Again, Even for the Vaccinated, in Some Places

The DoD resumed requiring all people to wear masks indoors at facilities in places where the disease is spreading quickly.

Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division, stand in formation

Cavalry Not Horsing Around with Mismanufactured Patches. Can you Spot the Error?

You probably need a jeweler's eye to notice what is wrong with the 1st Cavalry Division’s current patch.

Two A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft fly a flight training mission March 16, 2010, over Moody Air Force Base, Ga. The A-10C is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close-air support of ground forces. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Benjamin Wiseman)

Congress Rebuffs Air Force's Plan to Retire Older Aircraft, Putting A-10 Move on Hold

Lawmakers would block the retirement of the A-10s again if the recent Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the bill...

Biden Orders Military to Move Toward Mandatory COVID Vaccine

Biden said making the vaccines mandatory is important because troops often serve in places where vaccination rates are low.

US Navy Loses Two More Sailors to COVID-19

The total number of COVID deaths in the military is at 26 as of July 21, according to the DoD.

Latest Military Videos

China said to be Expanding its Nuclear Capabilities

This Day in History: NASA is Created

This Day in History: , NASA Is Created. July 29, 1958. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was...

Palestinians, Israeli Troops Clash after Funeral

Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops clashed following the funeral of a child believed killed by army fire the previous...

Army News

Officers load gun clips with ammunition at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission.

Ammunition Shelves Bare as Gun Sales Continue to Soar

The U.S. military is not affected by the shortage.

Biden Unveils Picks for Key Religious Freedom Roles

Biden appointed Khzir Khan, the Muslim-American father of a U.S. Army captain who died in Iraq in 2004, to be a commissioner.

Staff Sgt. Micah E. Walker, of Peyton, Colo.

Army Says Drowning Wasn't the Cause of Green Beret's Death, Retracting Prior Claim

Staff Sgt. Micah Walker, 31, was taking part in dive training when he died at Naval Air Station Key West.

Navy News

U.S. Navy sailors board an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter on the flight deck of USS Ronald Reagan.

US Navy Says Drone Strike Hit Oil Tanker off Oman, Killing 2

The USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Mitscher were escorting the Mercer Street as it headed to a safe port.

amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) at Naval Base San Diego

Sailor Charged with Arson in Bonhomme Richard Fire Claims Innocence, Lawyer Says

The accused sailor spoke with investigators after the fire and was confined to the Marine Corps Station Miramar brig for...

Smoke rises from the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego

Navy Charges Sailor with Setting Fire that Destroyed USS Bonhomme Richard

The sailor was a member of the crew at the time, Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a U.S. 3rd Fleet spokesperson, said.

Air Force News

Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano soars over Kabul

Hospital Bombed in Southern Afghanistan as Battles Rage

Provincial council chief Attaullah Afghan confirmed that the hospital was struck by the Afghan air force.

An F-22A Raptor taxis at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

Unspecified Maintenance Error After F-22 Was Washed Led to Crash at Eglin

The F-22 crash was the first of two nearly back-to-back fighter crashes at Eglin last year.

Aircrew egress systems specialists hoist an F-16 Fighting Falcon canopy

Lawmakers Move to Protect Pilots from Ejection Seat Problems

Lawmakers plan to require the Air Force and the Navy to notify them when the live-saving seats are in need of repair.

Marine Corps News

Hershel "Woody" Williams receives the Medal of Honor from President Harry S Truman at the White House in October 1945. (Hershel Williams Medal of Honor Foundation)

The Last Battle for Iwo Jima Legend Woody Williams, Only Surviving WWII Medal of Honor Recipient

At age 97, Woody Williams still has promises to Gold Star families to keep.

Families of Marines who died in amphibious assault vehicle accident.

Families of 9 Troops Killed in Amphibious Vehicle to Sue

BAE Systems declined to comment on the expected lawsuit and directed questions to the Marine Corps.

F-35B Lightning II lands at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

Lightning Strike Damages Two F-35B Stealth Fighters over Western Japan

Both aircraft, assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, landed safely after the strike and neither pilot was injured.

Coast Guard News

A towering crane pulls the engine room section away from the remains of the capsized cargo ship Golden Ray.

Section of Overturned Shipwreck Separated, Oil Discharged

On Saturday, a pilot steered the sixth section away from the rest of the Golden Ray’s half-submerged wreckage.

Commissioning of Coast Guard Cutters Myrtle Hazard, Oliver Henry and Fredrick Hatch

Coast Guard Sector Guam Rebrands Itself During Cutters' Triple Commissioning Ceremony

The U.S. Coast Guard renamed its Guam outpost the Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam during a triple commissioning...

That is one Semper Paratus game face. (U.S. Coast Guard)

5 Combat Victories the Coast Guard Scored Against America’s Enemies

To honor the Coast Guard's August 4th birthday: five stories to remind you the Coast Guard punches way above its weight.