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

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth receives a coin

Hegseth Works Hard to Portray Himself as a Man of the Troops. They Might Not Be Buying It.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and National Guardsman, has attempted to reframe the role of the...

Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora, Colo.

After Recent Years of Reform, Vets Fear Trump Cuts to VA Will Undo Lifeline Health Care, Research

Amid a downsizing campaign that’s poised to overhaul, streamline and — in some cases — eradicate bedrock federal agencies...

Veterans salute during a Veterans Day event.

Don't Dishonor Veterans with Broken Promises and Empty Gestures

It's time to get back in step with the veteran community -- not with fanfare, but with follow-through.

Nightclub where an immigration raid occurred in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Fort Carson Soldier Charged with Cocaine Distribution, Possession After DEA Nightclub Raid

Staff Sgt. Juan Gabriel Orona-Rodriguez is charged with one count each of distribution and possession with intent to...

President Donald Trump speaks during an event

White House Says Trump’s Proposal to Rename Veterans Day Has Been Scrapped

The White House has backed off President Donald Trump’s stunning social media proposal to change the name of Veterans Day to...

Maj. Zachary Sessa, an F-35C Lightning II pilot

Marine Aviator Describes Historic F-35 Combat Sortie in Mission Against Yemen's Houthis

After Maj. Zachary Sessa launched his F-35C Lightning II's payload at Houthi weapons storage facilities in Yemen last year...

Latest Military Videos

AP Explains Israeli Troops in Self-Declared Security Zones in Gaza

Israel’s defense minister said Wednesday that troops will remain in so-called security zones in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and...

Russian Strike on Kherson Kills One Person and Injures 3 Others

At least one person was killed and three others injured following a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of...

Fort Benning Takes Back its Old Name, but to Honor a Different Soldier

The Army is restoring the name Fort Benning to its storied training post in Georgia, only this time to...

Former Pentagon Spokesperson Speaks Out About Leaked War Plans

President Donald Trump is downplaying the texting of attack plans to a group chat that included a journalist as...

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

Most of the military's four-star officers occupy top leadership positions

Military's 4-Star Officers to Be Reduced by 20% or More Under New Order by Hegseth

In a memo released Monday, Hegseth argued that senior leaders should be "unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that...

Air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Army Pausing Helicopter Flights near Washington Airport After Close Calls

The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion directed the unit to pause helicopter flight operations around Ronald Reagan...

Navy News

Military's 4-Star Officers to Be Reduced by 20% or More Under New Order by Hegseth

In a memo released Monday, Hegseth argued that senior leaders should be "unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that...

USNS Sojourner Truth christening ceremony

Sojourner Truth Descendant Christens Navy Ship Named After Ulster Native

Barbara Allen, sixth great-granddaughter of Sojourner Truth, says she’ll never forget the ceremony where the U.S. Navy...

Air Force News

U.S. Air Force Academy cadets form ranks and prepare to march towards Mitchell Hall

Democratic Lawmakers Urge DOD to Provide Details on Air Force Academy Faculty Cuts

Democratic lawmakers are asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to share plans for cuts to civilian faculty members at the...

Military's 4-Star Officers to Be Reduced by 20% or More Under New Order by Hegseth

In a memo released Monday, Hegseth argued that senior leaders should be "unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that...

Space Force News

Capt. Matthew Lohmeier instructs a trainee

Senators Voice 'Deep Concerns' About Trump's Pick for Air Force Under Secretary

Democratic senators voiced serious concerns about a former Former Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier's political social media posts...

Launch of hypersonic missile from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Secretive 'Dark Eagle' Hypersonic Missile Launches from Cape Canaveral

The action on the Space Coast comes a day after the Army officially dubbed the defense system with its new moniker.

Marine Corps News

Military's 4-Star Officers to Be Reduced by 20% or More Under New Order by Hegseth

In a memo released Monday, Hegseth argued that senior leaders should be "unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that...

Marine Aviator Describes Historic F-35 Combat Sortie in Mission Against Yemen's Houthis

After Maj. Zachary Sessa launched his F-35C Lightning II's payload at Houthi weapons storage facilities in Yemen last year...

Coast Guard News

A crew from Coast Guard Station Charleston patrols Charleston Harbor

Coast Guard Reservist Wins Landmark Supreme Court Case Over Pay Disparities for Federal Workers

In a 5-4 decision, the justices said Nick Feliciano, a Coast Guard petty officer who was called to active duty from 2012 to...

Bales of interdicted illegal drugs aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball

Honolulu Coast Guard Crew Nabs 20K Pounds of Cocaine in Pacific

The haul was a result of six separate interdictions of suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions and other operations off...

Gina Harkins

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