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

Seventeen crew members were killed and dozens more hurt in the late-morning blast after explosives ripped a 40-by-40-foot...

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

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., left, confronts House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Federal Government Shutdown Grinds into a Second Week as Tempers Flare at the Capitol

As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) questions U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Trump Targets Blumenthal, Calling for Investigation into Senator's Vietnam Service Claims

President Donald Trump is targeting U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal again after Connecticut’s senior U.S. senator grilled U.S...

Pvt. Paul Douglas, age 50, performs a rifle inspection with his drill instructor aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot S.C., 1942. Douglas, at age 50 was the oldest recruit in the history of Parris Island, and went on to become a purple heart recipient and Chicago senator (DVIDS).

At 50, He Survived Marine Boot Camp — Then Fought at Peleliu and Okinawa

When 50-year-old Paul Douglas showed up at Marine Corps boot camp in 1942, the white-haired economics professor looked more...

Pack and transport platoon of the Russian army. Southern Military District. Ministry of Defense of Russia (Wikimedia Commons).

Ukrainian Drones Attack Russian Cavalry Troops in Rare 21st-Century Encounter

A short video circulating online this month appears to show a Russian mounted patrol being struck by a Ukrainian drone near...

When The Government Can Afford Everything Except The Essentials

Every shutdown forces the government to decide what counts as “essential.” Air traffic controllers and TSA agents fall into...

Troops Will Miss Paychecks Next Week Without Action on the Government Shutdown

The federal government shutdown is raising anxiety levels among service members and their families, because those in uniform...

Latest Military Videos

Rain Drenches Tent Camps in Central Gaza

Rain drenches tent camps in central Gaza as winter storm continues in the war-battered enclave.

Senators Question National Guard Officials on Lawfulness of Deployment Orders

Senators question National Guard officials on lawfulness of deployment orders.

President Trump Delivers Year-End Remarks

President Trump delivers his year-end remarks at the White House Congressional Ball.

NTSB 'Vehemently Opposes' Draft on Airspace Safety

NTSB 'vehemently opposes' draft on airspace safety following DC mid-air crash.

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

Trump Says 'We Will Retaliate' After 3 Americans Are Killed in Syria Attack That the US Blames on IS

Two U.S. service members and one American civilian were killed and three other people wounded in an ambush by a lone member...

A new Government Accountability Office report provides recommendations for the Pentagon to boost testing, evaluations to improve warfighting capabilities. (Freepik)

Pentagon Must Boost Testing for Weapons, Warfighting Capabilities: Report

"These modernization plans identified a need for DoD to issue new or revised policies and guidance to support modernized test...

Navy News

Navy veteran Chuck Reeves repairs donated bikes for veterans in need. (Photo from ABC15 Arizona)

Former Navy Servicemember Repairs Bicycles for Veterans in Need

Navy veteran Chuck Reeves overcame homelessness to provide repaired bikes for other veterans in need.

Pentagon Must Boost Testing for Weapons, Warfighting Capabilities: Report

"These modernization plans identified a need for DoD to issue new or revised policies and guidance to support modernized test...

Air Force News

Trump Says 'We Will Retaliate' After 3 Americans Are Killed in Syria Attack That the US Blames on IS

Two U.S. service members and one American civilian were killed and three other people wounded in an ambush by a lone member...

Reginald "Crash" Harrison was a heavily decorated WWII veteran. (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

World War II Pilot Who Lived Through Four Plane Crashes Dies at 103

Reginald "Crash" Harrison lived through four plane crashes in WWII and lived to talk about it. He died in Canada recently at...

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

Captured French soldiers, escorted by Vietnamese troops, walk to a prisoner-of-war camp in Dien Bien Phu. (Wikimedia Commons)

North Vietnam's Best General Beat France at Dien Bien Phu, Then Failed With the Same Tactics Against Marines at Khe Sanh

Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap earned his reputation as one of history's great military commanders on May 7, 1954, when 16,000 French...

John Gilbert as World War I soldier Jim Apperson marches with a column of helmeted troops in The Big Parade (1925), looking anxiously to the side.

Before ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ This Forgotten Silent War Epic Nailed The Veteran Homecoming Story

A decade before Hollywood had a name for PTSD, a Marine veteran helped make The Big Parade (1925), a World War I epic that...

Coast Guard News

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., arrives at the chamber.

Senators Want Answers From Coast Guard on How it Probes Displays of Swastikas or Other Hate Symbols

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., warned that “relaxing policies aimed at fighting hate crimes not only sends the wrong message to...

Coast Guardsmen assigned to the Law Enforcement Detachment conduct small boat operations with sailors assigned to the littoral combat ship USS Charleston during a southern border support mission in the Pacific Ocean, May 30, 2025. (Navy Seaman Joey Sitter, DoW).

Coast Guard Reverses Course on Policy to Call Swastikas and Nooses 'Potentially Divisive'

The U.S. Coast Guard has released a new, firmer policy addressing the display of hate symbols like swastikas and nooses just...