Gina Harkins

Gina Harkins reports on 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.

Email: gina.harkins@military.com

Latest Articles

Woman potentially first vice commandant in Coast Guard history

The Coast Guard May Get Its First Female Four-Star Admiral

If confirmed, Vice Adm. Linda Fagan will be the first female officer to reach the rank of four-star in the service's 230-year...

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Robert F. Castellvi Camp Pendleton

Lawmakers Question General's Prestigious Pentagon Assignment After Fatal AAV Accident

Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi's assignment as Marine Corps inspector general was sharply questioned by a California lawmaker.

USS Montgomery (LCS 8) transits from Naval Base San Diego to the Pacific Ocean.

'Super Corvette:' Former Navy Secretary Reveals He Pushed to Rename Littoral Combat Ship

The Navy plans to divest itself of the first four experimental LCSs.

Marine Injured in Camp Lejeune Barracks Shooting

A member of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, discharged the weapon that led to the injuries, said spokesman 1st Lt. Dan Linfante.

Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite USS Sioux City.

A Resurrected First Fleet Is the Weapon the Navy Needs to Counter China, Former SecNav Says

Kenneth Braithwaite was candid during his tenure as Navy secretary about the threat he believes China poses to the U.S.

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt "Don’t Give Up the Ship"

Judge Grants Jewish Sailor Temporary Reprieve After Navy Orders Him to Shave Beard

As a devout Hasidic Jew, Di Liscia "sincerely believes that he must maintain a beard to comply with his religious obligations...

U.S. Marine recruits graduate Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

In First, Male Marines Graduate From Historically All-Female Boot Camp Training Battalion

Marine recruits training at Parris Island were for decades segregated by gender, with women assigned solely to 4th Recruit...

Navy Airman Dies After Rescue Swimmer School Accident at Pensacola

Airman Nathan Burke of Lubbock, Texas, died at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, Navy officials announced.

Health-monitoring ring Crew Readiness, Endurance, and Watch Standing study.

Why 300 Sailors and Marines Deployed on an Amphibious Ship with Smart Rings

Researchers who set out to study fatigue on a Navy warship found out that getting good rest while underway is not easy.

U.S. Marine Corps' New Physical Training Uniform.

500 Marines Will Begin Testing These New PT Uniforms this Summer

The olive-colored shorts and T-shirts will be made from breathable materials and will feature black mesh side panels and...

Navy corpsman administers a Marine with COVID-19 vaccine

48,000 Marines Have Turned Down COVID-19 Vaccine, Corps Says

Members of II Marine Expeditionary Force have been about twice as likely to decline the vaccine compared to personnel on the...

police officer uses a spray agent on Caron Nazario

'I'm Very Proud of Him:' Sergeant Major of the Army Reacts to Black Lieutenant's Traffic Stop

"He represented himself and our Army well through his calm, professional response to the situation -- I'm very proud of him."

Recruits execute drill movements aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island

Lawmakers Are Worried COVID-19 Did Long-Term Damage to Military Training

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle say they are worried the military is only beginning to see how the pandemic has...

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday.

CNO: Fatal AAV Accident Revealed Gaps Between Navy, Marine Corps That Need Attention

Troubling findings into a military training accident that killed nine troops prompted a meeting between the top Navy and...

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook.

Navy Warships Could Head into the Black Sea as Russia-Ukraine Tensions Escalate

The U.S. Navy is reportedly considering moving two ships into the Black Sea after Russia announced it was sending 10 vessels...

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Most Popular Military News

Proposed Law Would Make It Easier for Vets to Get Private-Sector Care on VA's Dime

The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act would largely take the VA out of the community care process.

Ray Weaver, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, supports Rolling Thunder 2017. (Joshua L. DeMotts/U.S. Air Force)

Pentagon Rejects Permit Request by Veterans Group for Memorial Day Motorcycle Ride

Motorcyclists typically use the Pentagon's parking lot as a staging area for the ride, but officials denied the application.

Recruits conduct a 5K Hike Parris Island

This Change to Boot Camp Training Could Cut Recruit Injury Rates

Lima Company was one of two recruit companies selected to participate in a study assessing a progressive approach to hiking...

Retired Col. Ralph Puckett Jr visits U.S. Army Rangers.

Army Ranger Legend to Receive Medal of Honor at 94

President Biden will upgrade Ralph Puckett's Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor.

American military convoy stops near the town of Tel Tamr, north Syria, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

82nd Airborne Paratrooper Faces Charges Related to Gunfight at Syrian Checkpoint

An 82nd Airborne soldier is facing charges stemming from a deadly firefight between U.S. forces and those backing Assad.

Latest Military Videos

Zombie Army 4 Game Trailer

You may have taken down an Undead Zeppelin, but the fight never ends in the most expansive Zombie Army...

Luke Air Force Base Unveils Updated Shopping Center

Luke Air Force Base is celebrating the grand opening of its 112,670-square foot shopping center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Defense Department Watchdog to Examine Pentagon's Handling of UFOs

The Defense Department's watchdog said it will look at how the Pentagon handles UFO reports.

Army News

Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen's mother and sister Capitol Hill

Officials: Army to Put Civilian in Charge of Criminal Probes

The CID will be responsible for criminal investigations, and the Provost Marshal office will continue with separate duties.

Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and Airmen from the 437th Airlift Wing train together during exercise Predictable Iron. (U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Jade Dubiel)

How Fort Bragg, the Largest Military Base in the US Today, Got Its Start a Century Ago

Fort Bragg was built to train troops for World War I, but became the largest installation in the U.S.

Family and supporters of murdered Private First Class Vanessa Guillen.

Spc. Vanessa Guillen's Harasser Was a Known Toxic Leader, Army Report Shows

The sergeant was known to yell, belittle and threaten soldiers with counseling, delayed promotion or denial of leave.

Navy News

Dental Hygienist on Trial in 1984 Killing of a Navy Recruit

Thomas Garner of Jacksonville has pleaded not guilty to killing Pamela Cahanes.

In this Tuesday, July 2, 2019, file photo, Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher leaves a military court on Naval Base San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Gallagher Claims SEAL Platoon Agreed to Practice Medical Procedures on Dying Prisoner

Gallagher's attorney said that nothing he said on the podcast changed the facts of the case as they have been known.

Navy rescue swimmer Cale Foy looks on at Naval Air Station North Island

'I Have to Help,' Says Sailor Who Rescued Migrants at Sea

Foy and another young sailor who was also out hiking and is in basic training as a Navy SEAL recruit were among the first to...

Air Force News

The Skyborg autonomy core system launches.

Air Force's 'Skyborg' AI System Flies for First Time in Mako Drone

The U.S. Air Force flew an artificial intelligence system onboard a subsonic autonomous drone for the first time last month

Curtis LeMay Haywood Hansell Roger Ramey

How the WWII ‘Bomber Mafia’ Lost the Short-Term Battle But Won the Strategic War

“The Bomber Mafia” digs deep into one of the lesser-known rivalries of the war, the one between Brig. Gen. Haywood Hansell...

Security Forces check personnel coming through Gate 15A at Wright-Patterson AFB on April 8, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jim Mitchell)

Dayton Sues Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Defense Department for Water Pollution

The lawsuit accuses the base of failing to stop PFAS from entering one of the sources of the city's water.

Marine Corps News

F-35B Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

British Aircraft Carrier Departs on Landmark Deployment with Marine Corps F-35s Aboard

U.S. Marines have joined a British naval crew to form the biggest fifth-generation carrier air wing in the world.

Why These Infantry Marines Have a New Obsession with Chess

It's kind of like Fight Club. Except it's mental, not physical, and Marines can't stop talking about it.

Japanese amphibious assault vehicle in the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset

Navy Launches Its Own Investigation into Fatal Marine Corps AAV Accident

The Navy is reviewing its role in an at-sea accident that killed eight Marines and one sailor.

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard canine Kyra and Petty Officer 1st Class Clinton Stone MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter

Coast Guard Grounds Some Search-and-Rescue Helicopters As It Struggles to Find Spare Parts

Six Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters are currently grounded, with four more expected to be out of circulation by June.

Joe Biden welcomes the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's Class.

Coast Guard Academy Will Get Commencement Address from Biden

The ceremony will mark the school's 140th graduation and Biden's second keynote address there.

Coast Guard helicopter flies over boats searching where a boat capsized off San Diego coast

At Least 3 Killed, Many Hurt in Boat Capsize Off San Diego

Lifeguards, the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies responded Sunday following reports of an overturned vessel.