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

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.

Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher and team members on deployment.

Trump to Restore SEAL Gallagher's Rank, Dismiss Soldiers' War Crimes Charges: Report

President Donald Trump will intervene in the cases against three troops who were accused of war crimes, Fox News reported.

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...

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

United States Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann, left, and U.S. Air National Guard Director Lieutenant General Michael A. Loh

US Sends 2,000 Guard Troops, 100 Aircraft to Unprecedented NATO Exercise Aimed to Deter Russia

Germany is preparing to host the biggest air deployment exercise in NATO's history, a show of force intended to impress...

U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys land during a helicopter raid course.

Feds Sue for Millions in Damages After Osprey Incident at San Diego Airport

More than three years after a civilian skydiving aircraft collided with an MV-22 Osprey sitting on a San Diego runway, the U...

U.S. Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand.

5.2% Troop Pay Raise in 2024 Gets Support as Debt Ceiling Fight Subsides

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urged the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee to ensure that this year's National Defense...

102nd annual parade Veterans Day Parade in New York.

Veterans Deserve Choice in How They Obtain Disability Benefits

"Millions of veterans are already effectively being denied their benefits due to an unnecessarily complex and arcane...

President Joe Biden addresses the nation on the budget deal

Biden Signs Debt Ceiling Bill that Pulls US Back from Brink of Unprecedented Default

With just two days to spare, President Joe Biden signed legislation on Saturday that lifts the nation’s debt ceiling...

Two T-34 Mentor and a SNJ Texan perform with the Training Parade during the 2012 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show Oct. 12, 2012. (U.S. Marine Corps photo/Melissa Lee)

Dozens of T-34s Headed to Ohio Air Force Museum This Weekend

The T-34 Association has scheduled its T-34 Mentor fly-in and flyovers at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base museum...

Latest Military Videos

Vucic and Murmu Hold Joint Briefing in Belgrade

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic thanked Indian President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday for respecting Serbia’s territorial integrity. (June 8) AP

Drone Video Shows Ukraine Dam Devastation

Drone footage of the collapsed Ukrainian dam and surrounding villages under Russian occupation show the ruined structure falling into...

Russia and China Conduct Air Patrol in Asia-Pacific

Russian and Chinese air forces conducted joint air patrol in the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on...

Blinken Pledges US Funds at Meeting on Combating IS

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced increased funding to support security and humanitarian conditions in regions...

Investigations and Features

The Threat from Extremist Groups Is Growing. Service Members and Vets Are Getting Sucked into the Violence.

The U.S. intelligence community deemed racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism -- with adherents such as white...

They Said the Rise in Military Suicide Is a Mystery. Traumatic Brain Injury May Be an Answer.

Veterans who have had a head injury are at higher risk for suicide, but these deaths can be prevented, experts say.

Army News

Marine Corps honor color guard rehearse in Washington amid layer of smoke.

Bad Air: Military Across East Coast Deals with Smoke Pollution from Canada

Springtime winds carried the massive trail of smoke across parts of the continental U.S. -- and directly over several large...

Caisson platoon prior to a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

Horse-Drawn Funerals at Arlington Suspended Until Mid-2024

The time is needed, officials say, to "reset" the program, which has more than half its horses in rehabilitation.

Navy News

Guam National Guard soldier helps remove debris after Typhoon Mawar.

Air Force and Navy Pause PCS Moves to Guam as Island Recovers from Typhoon

Military families and other island residents were still without power this week after Typhoon Mawar, a massive Category 4...

USS Daniel Inouye Warship Prepares for First Deployment

The Pearl Harbor-based warship named for the late Hawaii senator and war hero, is gearing up for its first deployment amid a...

Air Force News

Air Force and Navy Pause PCS Moves to Guam as Island Recovers from Typhoon

Military families and other island residents were still without power this week after Typhoon Mawar, a massive Category 4...

Sign for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Home to Glenn, Armstrong and Wrights Perfect Spot for Space Command HQ, Ohio Lawmakers Tell Biden

Congressional delegates from Ohio are promoting Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton as the location for the new Space...

Space Force News

Alabama Senator Says Space Command Prefers Huntsville for HQ, But Command Has No Comment

Tuberville's tweet, which his office also issued in a press release, is the latest twist in the ongoing brawl over where U.S...

Home to Glenn, Armstrong and Wrights Perfect Spot for Space Command HQ, Ohio Lawmakers Tell Biden

Congressional delegates from Ohio are promoting Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton as the location for the new Space...

Marine Corps News

Rev. Pat Robertson poses a question to a Republican presidential candidate.

Marine Veteran Pat Robertson, Who Helped Make Religion Central to GOP Politics, Dies at 93

For more than a half-century, Robertson was a familiar presence in American living rooms, known for his “700 Club” television...

Fire and maneuver range at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

Cutting Weight: Marine Infantry Battalions to Shrink 10% by End of the Summer

The service's "Force Design 2030" initiative will shave the current infantry battalion size from 900 down to 811 by September...

Coast Guard News