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

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.

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.

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.

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

U.S. Marines inspect a destroyed Japanese tank in the Gilbert Islands, 1943.

Why Japanese Tanks Were Doomed in the Pacific Theater

Today, the Pacific remains a prominent strategic interest for the U.S. military, but the Marine Corps recently deactivated...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a ceremony at the Pentagon

Hegseth Says Wounded Knee Soldiers Will Keep Their Medals of Honor

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that he has decided that the 20 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for...

U.S. Navy SEALs conduct Visit, Board, Search and Seizure training

The Italian WWII Frogmen Who Inspired the U.S. Navy SEALs

While uniquely American, SEAL doctrine owes a technical and conceptual debt to Italy’s WWII combat divers, who first combined...

New Mexico's Health Care Crisis Is Forcing Military Personnel to Decline Assignments

At New Mexico's three Air Force bases — Kirtland in Albuquerque, Cannon near Clovis and Holloman outside of Alamogordo — the...

Democrat Mikie Sherrill responds to questions during the first general election gubernatorial debate with Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Democratic Candidate for Governor of New Jersey Pushes Back After GOP Questions Her Service Record

Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic candidate for governor of New Jersey in this year’s high-stakes race, is defending her Navy...

Hegseth Abruptly Summons Top Military Commanders to a Meeting in Virginia Next Week

The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering Tuesday of senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their...

Latest Military Videos

Trump Says Netanyahu Has Agreed to His Plan to End the War in Gaza

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday they’ve agreed to a plan to end the...

Oregon Sues over Federal Deployment of National Guard to Portland, Calling it Unlawful

Armed federal agents patrolled Chicago’s downtown streets on Sunday and President Donald Trump called up 200 National Guard troops...

North Carolina Governor Calls for Red Flag Law in Wake of Coastal Bar Shootings

A man charged with firing an assault rifle from a boat at patrons of a North Carolina waterfront bar...

Israeli Tanks Seen at Gaza Border as Smoke Continues to Rise over the Strip

Tanks and smoke were seen at the Israeli border with Gaza on Sunday. (Sept. 29) AP

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

The BOD POD utilizes air displacement plethysmography to measure body composition, specifically the proportion of fat mass and lean mass. The device measures how much air one’s body displaces, allowing it to calculate body density and provide a detailed breakdown of body fat percentage and lean muscle mass (Janecze Wright, DVIDS).

The New Army Body-Fat Standard: A Step In The Right Direction?

As obesity rates climb across America, the Army’s new body-composition policy arrives at a critical moment. This is not just...

Why Japanese Tanks Were Doomed in the Pacific Theater

Today, the Pacific remains a prominent strategic interest for the U.S. military, but the Marine Corps recently deactivated...

Navy News

Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill are facing off to become governor of New Jersey.

Did Sherrill Violate Naval Academy’s Honor Code? Classmates Speak out About Notorious Cheating Scandal

Mikie Sherrill, a New Jersey Democratic congresswoman running for governor, says she did not cheat but was penalized because...

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.'s Stratford headquarters.

Sikorsky Awarded $11 Billion Contract for Marine Corps Helicopters

Sikorsky Aircraft, the Stratford-based helicopter manufacturer, has been awarded a nearly $11 billion contract with the U.S...

Air Force News

NASA astronaut Victor Glover Jr., center, is flanked by former Tuskegee Airmen Lt. Col. James Harvey, left, and Lt. Col. George Hardy

Tuskegee Airman Who Served in 3 Wars Dies at 100

Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. George Hardy died at the age of 100, the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. announced.

U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 66th Training Squadron’s Pre-Team 26-02 carry the American and POW/MIA flags during the annual POW/MIA memorial ruck march through Fairchild Air Force Base’s main gate during a memorial ruck march

Fairchild Air Force Base to Delay PFAS Cleanup Under Department of Defense Directive

Cleanup of chemicals at Fairchild Air Force Base could be delayed through 2032 as part of a nationwide directive.

Space Force News

U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Rachel Harmon and Master Sgt. Tom Anderson, weapons loaders assigned to the 174th Attack Wing, checks an inert GBU 12 laser guided missile on an MQ-9 Reaper at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base in Springfield, Ohio.

Two Space Force Units Bring the 'Invisible Front Line' to Ohio

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting is planned for Friday for the Space Intelligence Production Cell at the Springfield-Beckley Air...

A painting of a Defense Support Program satellite from the Air Force Art collection. DSP provides a variety of national security capabilities. Its flagship mission of launch detection was made famous during the Cold War. (U.S. Air Force image)

Clearing The Orbits: Space Force Partnerships In Orbital Cleanup

The growing congestion of Earth orbit has raised risks to satellites, space stations, and long-term space sustainability. The...

Marine Corps News

Marines Say They Hit Recruiting Goals and Point to 'Unapologetic' Standards

Data provided by the Corps shows that it has recruited 30,536 active-duty and reserve enlisted Marines — just one person over...

Marine Veteran Charged in Deadly North Carolina Waterfront Shooting Appears Subdued in Court

Nigel Edge, 40, a Purple Heart recipient whose last assignment was with a Wounded Warrior battalion, made his first court...

Coast Guard News

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Motor Lifeboat CG-36538 was restored by dozens of volunteers after more than 8 years of hard work.

Cape May Maritime Museum Brings 73-Year-Old Coast Guard Lifeboat Back to Life

The CG-36538 was built in a Baltimore shipyard in Curtis Bay in 1952 and was primarily used for winter rescues and winter...

Bill Huizenga (R-MI) at House Committee on Financial Services hearing regarding navigating the digital payments ecosystem examining a Federal framework for payment stablecoins and consequences of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency at the United States Capitol on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Huizenga bill would pay immigration agents, Coast Guard during government shutdown

Michigan U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga introduced legislation Wednesday aiming to ensure that Department of Homeland Security law...