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...

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Most Popular Military News

Twenty dollar bills are counted in North Andover, Mass.

Bill Guaranteeing Cost-of-Living Increase for Veterans in 2024 Heads to President's Desk

The annual task in Congress ensures that VA compensation keeps pace with Social Security increases.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough.

VA Issues New Warning that Default Could Have 'Catastrophic' Effects for Veterans

VA Secretary Denis McDonough said Wednesday there is "no blueprint for what could happen."

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn.

Navy Fires Destroyer's Leadership as Ship Moves Homeport to Japan

Cmdr. Angela Gonzales, the commanding officer, and Cmdr. Jonathan Zang, the executive officer, were fired from the John Finn...

Class of 2026 during the Acceptance Day parade at West Point.

Academy Cadets with Kids Still Waiting as Pentagon Lags on Rule Change

Military students remain in limbo as final Pentagon guidance for a new policy allowing cadets at America's service academies...

Green Berets conduct combat training in the Republic of Korea.

Army Special Operations Could Be Cut 10% as Military Looks to Conventional Warfare

As the service pivots its focus toward China, Green Berets and other commando units could see cuts in favor of building up...

Front of the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington.

How Veterans Benefits Could Be Delayed in June by a US Default

Billions of dollars of veterans benefits could be imperiled if the U.S. defaults on its debts, though the full extent of the...

Latest Military Videos

Cocaine Labeled with Swastika Seized in Peru

Peruvian anti-drug police seized 127 pounds of packages of cocaine on Thursday bearing a picture of a Nazi flag...

NASA Launches Storm-Tracking Satellites

Rocket Lab on Friday launched another pair of storm-tracking satellites for NASA from Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. (May...

Hundreds Attend Funeral of Black WWII Veteran

Peter Brown died alone in London without any known family. But hundreds of people — mostly strangers — gathered...

China MOFA Comments on Vietnam, US-Taiwan

China on Friday reasserted its claim over the waters of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea...

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

Spc. Austin Valley in his dress uniform.

A Soldier Attempted Suicide in Poland. Left to Roam at Fort Riley, He Killed Himself.

The unit's response to Valley's first attempt to kill himself raises questions over whether the Army's suicide prevention...

'He's Home': Missing 73 Years, Medal of Honor Recipient's Remains Return to Georgia

A soldier awarded the Medal of Honor after he went missing in battle during the Korean War is being buried on Memorial Day...

Navy News

U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Unit (PSU) 311 members and U.S. Navy Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 11 members complete joint agency exercises aboard a 32-foot transportable port security boat off San Clemente Island.

Navy Contractor Jet Was on Fire Before Deadly California Crash, Federal Report Says

The report didn’t mention a possible cause for the fire or the crash.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at the U.S. Naval Academy graduation.

Defense Secretary Tells Navy Graduates They Are Ready to Serve

The secretary said naval officers have a special understanding of the power of teamwork, and "we need that spirit for the...

Air Force News

Massachusetts National Guard Changes Linked to Leak Case

Top brass at the Massachusetts National Guard said the military outfit is holding off on making changes before findings are...

Redstone Arsenal moves its main gate farther from the interstate

Have Space Command HQ Requirements Changed? Investigations Underway

The secretary of the Air Force, authorized with making the final decision on the permanent home for Space Command...

Space Force News

Have Space Command HQ Requirements Changed? Investigations Underway

The secretary of the Air Force, authorized with making the final decision on the permanent home for Space Command...

Space Launch Delta 30 at the monthly Delta Dash at Vandenberg SVB.

Space Force Rolls Out Fitness Trackers to Guardians in Lieu of Traditional Testing

The Space Force announced it will conduct a two-year testing period on wearable fitness trackers as part of its newly...

Marine Corps News

Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers.

Veteran Who Led Oath Keepers Sentenced to 18 Years for Role in Jan. 6 Attack

Stewart Rhodes is the first person charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack to be sentenced for seditious conspiracy, and his...

A photo of then Second Lieutenant Lou Schott poses for a portrait in 1943. (TNS/ Jeffrey F. Bill)

102-Year-Old Maryland Veteran Awarded Silver Star for World War II Service in the Pacific

Nearly 78 years after his actions, Schott, 102, was awarded the Silver Star, the U.S. Armed Forces' third-highest military...

Coast Guard News

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas delivered the keynote address at the Coast Guard Academy

Sending Out Ensigns on Humanitarian Missions, Coast Guard Academy Graduates 243

The United States Coast Guard Academy graduated 243 students at its 142nd commencement, preparing to send many to far-off...

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Plane with 3 Passengers that Crashed off California Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a plane that crashed in the ocean near San Clemente Island on Wednesday...