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.

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

Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade use hot towels to warm their faces during a shaving clinic

New Army Shaving Policy Will Allow Soldiers with Skin Condition that Affects Mostly Black Men to Be Kicked Out

The Army is preparing to roll out a new policy that could lead to soldiers diagnosed with a chronic skin condition that...

U.S. Army soldier stands beside a Stryker along the Rio Grande River

Largest Military Border Zone Yet to Be Created in Texas as Part of Air Force Base

The new military zone is located in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties in Texas and will be transferred from land overseen by the...

Army’s Executive Innovation Corps commissioning ceremony

Tech Executives Commissioned as Senior Army Officers Won't Recuse Themselves from DoD Business Dealings

The new formation is set to recruit tech executives to work on major Army challenges, but the service has not articulated...

President Donald Trump speaks at the end of the NATO summit

Trump Said He OK'd Iran's Plan to Strike Al Udeid. His Top Military Adviser Said Troops There Fended Off Missiles.

The Iranians "were very nice. They gave us warning," Trump told reporters. "They said, 'We're going to shoot 'em. Is one o...

Fort Bragg Officer and Ex-Wife Accused of Murdering Adopted Children Now Behind Bars

Warrant Officer Anthony Rivera, 36, of Fayetteville, and his former wife Danielle Kennedy, 36, of Arizona, were charged May...

President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

Trump Suggests Bringing Back Secretary of War. Why Did the Title Get Dropped?

Trump brought up the idea of a name change while introducing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at a June 25 press conference...

Latest Military Videos

Israel Government Spokesman Says Obstacle to End Gaza Offensive 'Lies with Hamas'

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said on Monday that the obstacle to ending the war in Gaza "lies with...

China's Aircraft Carriers Wrap Up Far Seas Training

China's Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carrier formations have completed a far-sea combat training mission recently, state broadcaster CCTV reported...

Extremist Jewish Settlers Attack Israeli Army Base, AP Explains

Dozens of Israeli settlers rampaged around a military base in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, setting fires, vandalizing military vehicles...

Denmark Expands Military Draft to Women for First Time

Denmark is seeking to increase the number of young people in the military by extending compulsory enlistment to women...

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

(Airman 1st Class Timothy Kim/U.S. Air Force photo)

How Tabletop War Games Build Strategy and Community

Where modern games such as “Risk” reduce the complicated mechanics from those early games to make them easier to play...

LA Army Veteran with Purple Heart Self-Deports to South Korea Under Threat of Deportation

An Army veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart self-deported to South Korea as he was threatened with being detained and...

Navy News

Marine 2nd Lieutenant Colin DuPont instructs incoming plebes on how to salute.

Annapolis Families Provide Midshipmen with a 'Home Away from Home'

Roughly 1,200 incoming midshipmen arrived in Annapolis for the kickoff of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Class of 2029 Plebe Summer...

The John Lewis-class replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk

Hegseth Announces New Name for Ship that Had Honored Gay Rights Icon Harvey Milk

Hegseth said that he would be renaming the USNS Harvey Milk in honor of Chief Watertender Oscar V. Peterson. Peterson...

Air Force News

Constraints on Trump's War Powers Rejected by Senate After Iran Strikes

The failure of the resolution adds to a post-Global War on Terrorism trend of Congress ceding its constitutional power to...

Largest Military Border Zone Yet to Be Created in Texas as Part of Air Force Base

The new military zone is located in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties in Texas and will be transferred from land overseen by the...

Space Force News

Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna at a screening of "Elio"

Space Force May Have its Biggest Media Moment Yet with Disney-Pixar's 'Elio'

The Army has "Saving Private Ryan," the Navy has "Top Gun," the Marine Corps has "Full Metal Jacket" and, now, an animated...

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David A. Flosi

Air Force Leader Says Troops Must Be Ready to 'Kill People and Blow Sh-- Up'

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flosi, the service's top enlisted leader, didn't mince his words in an internal...

Marine Corps News

A Marine stands guard outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles.

California Hopes Law from Bloody Era of US History Can Rein in Trump's Use of Troops

The text of the Posse Comitatus Act itself is slight, its relevant section barely more than 60 words.

Marine Corps recruiter speaks with a prospective Marine

Victim's Family Frantic After Not Being Notified of Ex-Marine Recruiter's Early Release from Brig

Pvt. Christopher Champagne was released from a military prison in California on Monday after serving less than nine months of...

Coast Guard News

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa returns to its homeport

Coast Guard Temporarily Relieves Commanding Officer of Cutter Tampa

Cmdr. Walter Krolman, who has led the medium endurance cutter Tampa for two years, was relieved for "loss of confidence,"...

Hawaii Coast Guard Crew Wraps Up Enforcement Mission in Cook Islands

The Lane, a 270-foot Medium Class Endurance Cutter arrived in Hawaii in late 2023 to serve as the U.S. Coast Guard’s first...