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

The officers of the USS Cole reflect on the 20th anniversary of the deadly suicide bomber attack on the ship.

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.

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Most Popular Military News

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio holds the Holy Eucharest before Communion

Catholic Church Says Troops Can Decline COVID Vaccine as First Deadline Approaches

Archbishop Timothy Broglio's message lends support to troops who claim religious exemptions to vaccination mandates.

Navy SEALs Try to Prevent a DC Terror Attack in ‘One Shot’

Director James Nunn claims to have shot the military thriller movie in one continuous take.

Master Leader Course graduation at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Senior Army Enlisted Can Soon Be Temporarily Promoted Without NCO Schooling

Noncommissioned officers who haven't yet graduated from the Army's Master Leader Course may still get promoted beginning next...

John Thampi’s convoy drives through a sandstorm in Iraq in 2007

A Veteran's Odyssey After Hanging Up the Uniform in an America He Doesn't Recognize

"The story of Odysseus is the story of the day after -- what happens when the battle is done?"

Marine Who Became a Social Media Star for Questioning Afghanistan War Found Guilty, Awaits Sentencing

After Hines accepted both Scheller's guilty plea and the deal both sides agreed to, the defense called a host of character...

Photo collage of the five sailors killed when an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter crashed

Navy Recovers Remains of 5 Sailors Killed in Helicopter Crash Off San Diego

The service said it recovered the lost aircraft from a depth of about 5,300 feet with the help of a salvage and dive team...

Latest Military Videos

Marine Corps Conducts First Ever F-35B Operations Aboard Japanese Vessel

U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242 conducted vertical landings and takeoffs...

Thunderbirds Pacific Airshow: Huntington Beach 2021

The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds" perform over Huntington Beach, Calif., on Oct. 1, 2021.

Spartan Paratroopers Make Their 100th Jump

Two paratroopers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, make their...

Army News

Insurrectionists scale the west wall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington

Soldier Who Joined Army After January Insurrection Charged for Role in Attack

The FBI was tipped off to Mault's involvement by an informant who claimed to have seen a picture of him inside the Capitol...

Army Tweaks Testing so More Soldiers Can Try to Earn Infantry, Soldier and Medical Badges

Stringent rules for badge testing make the process incredibly time-consuming for units.

Senior Army Enlisted Can Soon Be Temporarily Promoted Without NCO Schooling

Noncommissioned officers who haven't yet graduated from the Army's Master Leader Course may still get promoted beginning next...

Navy News

Marines rest after building bridges in Afghanistan.

Settlement Spurs Navy to Take Another Look at 'Bad Paper' Discharges of Traumatized Vets

The U.S. Navy has agreed to review more than nine years’ worth of “bad paper” discharges given to thousands of Iraq and...

destroyer USS Chafee is seen from Russian navy's Admiral Tributs destroyer

Russia Says It Pushed US Destroyer from Area Near its Waters

The incident came as Russia and China conducted joint naval drills in the area.

U.S. Navy sailor gets a COVID-19 vaccine at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

Navy Prepares for Discharges of Sailors Who Refuse COVID Vaccine

Sailors who refuse the shot can be reassigned while their cases are heard, and will not be promoted or given any other orders...

Air Force News

Air Force General Is Second Woman to Lead a Top US Command

Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost has became only the second woman to lead one of the Pentagon’s 11 so-called combatant...

Pentagon Official Says He Resigned Because US Cybersecurity Is No Match for China

Nicolas Chaillan cited the Pentagon's reluctance to make cybersecurity and AI a priority as a reason he quit.

CH-47 Chinook takes off from Forward Operating Base Bostick in the Ghaziabad province, Afghanistan

Taliban Official Claims Role in US Chinook Shootdown that Killed 38 in 2011

Muhajer says one of the battles he saw was the 2011 shootdown of Extortion 17, the deadliest single moment of the 20-year war...

Marine Corps News

Lt. Col. Stu Scheller leaves court-martial.

Anger over Afghanistan and the Imperfect Example of Stu Scheller

Lt. Col. Stu Scheller has become a symbol in some military and political circles of a need for military accountability and...

Settlement Spurs Navy to Take Another Look at 'Bad Paper' Discharges of Traumatized Vets

The U.S. Navy has agreed to review more than nine years’ worth of “bad paper” discharges given to thousands of Iraq and...

Marine Who Became a Social Media Star for Questioning Afghanistan War Found Guilty, Awaits Sentencing

After Hines accepted both Scheller's guilty plea and the deal both sides agreed to, the defense called a host of character...

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard: Wreck Found in Atlantic Is Storied Cutter Bear

The legend of the Bear is so ingrained in Coast Guard lore that the sports teams at the Coast Guard Academy are named the...

Workers in protective suits clean the contaminated beach in Huntington Beach

Coast Guard: California Oil Spill Likely 25,000 Gallons

Officials believe the pipeline was likely damaged by a ship’s anchor several months to a year before it ruptured.

Coast Guard members on a 45-foot Response Boat – Medium patrol Tampa Bay, Florida

Here's the Case for Buying the Coast Guard Small Inflatable Boats

The primary response assets for U.S. Coast Guard small boat stations in bad weather are 47-foot motor lifeboats (MLBs) and 45...