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

Lights shine inside the U.S. Capitol Building as night falls in Washington.

Troop Pay Safe After Congress Approves Extension of Government Funding

Troop pay is no longer in jeopardy after Congress approved legislation to keep the government funded through mid-March and...

Weeks before his retirement, Marine Col. Aaron Cunningham, left, and his wife, Jennifer, joined their only son, Mason, this summer when he was commissioned as a Marine second lieutenant.

They Fought in Iraq’s Bloodiest Battle. Will Their Kids Be the Next Generation of Marines?

No matter the profession, parents and children in both civilian and military families must navigate delicate decisions about...

14.5% Junior Enlisted Pay Raise, Restriction on Care for Transgender Military Kids Headed to Biden's Desk

The 4.5% raise will be added to all service members' paychecks at the beginning of January, while the remaining 10% extra for...

Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division receive the Army Commendation Medal.

Army Set to Debut Master Combat Badges in Spring, Memo Says

The Army is set to begin awarding Master Combat Badges, which will combine expert and traditional combat badges, next spring...

Handcuffs lay on a table at Ramstein Air Base, Germany

Police Say Marine Charged with Escort's Murder Googled Whether It's Possible to Scream While Being Strangled

In what a local official called a "chilling" case, an active-duty Marine stationed in Florida was arrested and charged with...

Lessons from the Air Force Kitchen Police: Volunteer for Everything. Even Pots and Pans

When Ed Meagher reported to Air Force basic training on June 15, 1966, he was a 19-year-old college dropout. Despite two...

Latest Military Videos

Trump Claims Government Knows What Drones Are

In a far-ranging interview news conference, President-elect Donald Trump said the U.S. government "knows what is happening" with the...

Russian Forces Seen Withdrawing Toward Northern Syrian City of Tartus

A lengthy convoy of Russian military vehicles were seen withdrawing from Latakia toward the Syrian city of Tartus on...

Schumer Calls on US Agencies to Use Advanced Technology to Identify Mysterious Drones

After weeks of fear and bewilderment about the drones buzzing over parts of New York and New Jersey, U.S...

Mother of American Found in Syria: 'We All Want You Home'

An American citizen who disappeared seven months ago into former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s notorious prison system said he...

Investigations and Features

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...

A patch in the home of retired missileer Paul Hunke

They Stood Sentry over America's Nuclear Missile Arsenal. Many Worry It Gave Them Cancer.

For years, it was an open secret among missileers that the Cold War-era missile alert facilities and launch control centers...

Army News

A photograph of the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against Joshua James.

Army Veteran Sentenced to Probation for Milestone Conviction in Oath Keepers Sedition Plot

The judge described Joshua James as a “true American hero” for his military service and praised him for having the courage to...

U.S. Army soldiers conduct a tactical movement in Northeast Syria

Pentagon Reveals 2,000 US Troops Are in Syria – More than Double What Was Previously Reported

In a surprise announcement, the Pentagon revealed that it has not been offering an accurate count of how many U.S. troops it...

Navy News

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B takes off from the a USS Boxer

Ospreys Cleared to Fly Again, But Problematic Gearbox Gets More Scrutiny

The Navy office that oversees the military's use of the V-22 Osprey is allowing the services to resume flying the aircraft...

'Warfare,' from writer, director and Navy SEAL veteran Ray Mendoza, is in theaters in 2025. (A24)

‘Warfare': A Real-Time Iraq War Combat Film from a Navy SEAL and the Director of 'Civil War'

Scheduled for release in 2025, "Warfare" follows a team of SEALs holed up in an Iraqi home, following their action in real...

Air Force News

NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs

Is the NORAD Santa Tracker Safe from a Government Shutdown?

NORAD's annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War, predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics.

A sign at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Air Force Tears Down Historic Wright-Patterson House After $1.2M Renovation

A little over a decade after the Air Force spent some $1.2 million to renovate a former officer's home on Wright-Patterson...

Space Force News

President-elect Trump and Elon Musk at a SpaceX Starship rocket launch

As Space Force Marks 5-Year Anniversary, Republicans and Trump Aim to Take it Higher

In a month, the president who created the Space Force will be back in the White House, and one of the service's biggest...

Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Moore, senior enlisted leader, 138th Space Control Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Air National Guard, secures equipment aboard a C-17 Globemaster.

Senate OKs Move of Space-Focused National Guard Units. Colorado Governor Says Air Force Wouldn't Negotiate.

The Senate approved the annual defense bill Wednesday that moves National Guard units into the active-duty Space Force after...

Marine Corps News

U.S. Marine reenlists during a ceremony on Camp Courtney, Okinawa

How the Marine Corps Is Changing to Keep Talented Marines in the Service

For decades, the Marine Corps incurred a "remarkably high turnover rate" among its first-term Marines as it prioritized, and...

This 2023 age-progressed photo, released by the FBI Washington Field Office, shows what Austin Tice may look like in his 40s. Tice disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus, Syria, in August 2012.

Mystery Surrounding Abducted Marine Veteran Austin Tice Enters New Chapter with Syrian Manhunt

The search for missing Marine Corps veteran Austin Tice that stumped the U.S. government for 12 years has entered a new...

Coast Guard News

The SS United States is docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia.

Coast Guard Halts Departure of Historic Ocean Liner Destined to Become a Giant Artificial Reef

The historic ocean liner the SS United States appears to be staying at a Philadelphia dock for now after the U.S. Coast Guard...

The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s 35-foot, long-range interceptor small boat prepares to conduct a joint search-and-rescue exercise in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, with a Japan Coast Guard AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter aircrew.

US Coast Guard to Participate in First-Ever Drill in Tokyo Bay

The coast guards of Japan, the United States, Australia and India are to conduct their first four-country drill at the Port...