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...

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

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

5 Incredible Navy Cross Recipients

Here are the stories of five incredible Navy Cross recipients.

Missing Bodies of Hostages Top List of Uncertainties as Fragile Gaza Ceasefire Holds

After the release of the last living hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the tenuous ceasefire in Gaza was holding Tuesday...

Newly Released Israeli Hostages Reunited with Their Families at Hospital

Several hostages released from Gaza were reunited with their families on Monday at the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv...

Hegseth Welcomes Qatar Counterpart to Pentagon, Announces Qatari Facility at US Base in Idaho

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth welcomed Qatar's minister of defense, Sheik Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, to the...

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

U.S. Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Gabe Cherian, a crew chief, looks out the door of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to ensure clearance to land at the Ike Skelton Training Site in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Army Plans to ‘Disrupt’ Buying, Give Less Work to Defense Contractors

The U.S. Army plans to shift to a Silicon Valley model as it works to speed up the development, buying and fielding of new...

Russia-Ukraine War Volunteer Works with U.S. Military To Develop Electronic Warfare

Jack de Santis learned a lot during his time in Ukraine, namely that the old style of warfare is not practical in future...

Navy News

A Philadelphia Fire Department fire boat streams water as the USS Lassen passes by at the start of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, Parade of Ships, as seen from Navy Yard, south Philadelphia.

A Grand Parade of Ships Kicked off the 250th Anniversary of the Marines and Navy

Hundreds of veterans, active service members, families of the lost, and dignitaries came to Mustin Field at the Navy Yard on...

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...

Air Force News

The F-80C was more than a match for the propeller-driven fighters of the North Korean Air Force but suffered from short range when flying from Japanese air bases (U.S. Air Force photo).

Lessons from the Korean War: How Air Combat Then Still Shapes U.S. Tactics Today

When the Korean War began in 1950, the United States entered a new era of air combat it barely understood. Pilots trained for...

Russia-Ukraine War Volunteer Works with U.S. Military To Develop Electronic Warfare

Jack de Santis learned a lot during his time in Ukraine, namely that the old style of warfare is not practical in future...

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

This Family Visit to a Military Base Ended With ICE Deporting a Marine's Dad

A U.S. Marine says his parents were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials after they visited a California...

2/23 Marines conduct bilateral rifle range with ROK Marines (DVIDS, photo by Cpl Kanoa Thomas).

Marines Sharpen U.S. and Korean Relations at Ulchi Freedom Shield 25

As North Korea continues its barrage of missile tests and bellicose rhetoric, U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) Marines have...

Coast Guard News

A Grand Parade of Ships Kicked off the 250th Anniversary of the Marines and Navy

Hundreds of veterans, active service members, families of the lost, and dignitaries came to Mustin Field at the Navy Yard on...

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...

Gina Harkins

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