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

Cavalry Soldiers at Fort Carson Can't See Doctors in the Early Morning Under New Rules

An armor officer at Fort Carson, Colorado, this week issued a new set of policies to his formation effectively banning...

Senior Airman Sean Ryan Stevenson poses in front of an airplane

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physical training uniform prototype at Marine Corps University

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The Marine Corps has ended a plan to revamp its physical fitness uniform, according to the service. The initiative lasted...

Another High-Profile Firing at West Point, This Time Due to Criminal Sexual Conduct Allegations

A senior civilian staffer at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has been fired after being arrested on a felony charge...

U.S. Army nurses pose for an undated photo during the Spanish-American War.

How Four Nuns Became the First Native American Women to Serve in the US Military

Today, American Indians and Alaska Natives serve in the Armed Forces at five times the national average — with the women...

Ruth Munder, a released Israeli hostage, walks with an Israeli soldier shortly after her arrival in Israel

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An Israeli hostage freed by Hamas has said in an interview that she was initially fed well in captivity until conditions...

Latest Military Videos

Gaza Truce Extended and More Hostages to Be Released, AP Explains

The Associated Press' Correspondent in Jerusalem Sam Mednick explains the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which was due to...

US Navy Removes Fuel From Plane in Hawaii Bay

The U.S. Navy said Monday that it has removed nearly all of the fuel from a large plane that...

White House Hails Extension of Truce Between Israel and Hamas

The White House on Monday hailed the extension of the Israel-Hamas truce for another two days, which will result...

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Almost every building in Beit Hanoun has been left destroyed by the intensity of the latest war between Israel...

Investigations and Features

What the Pentagon Has, Hasn't and Could Do to Stop Veterans and Troops from Joining Extremist Groups

The military and its transition programs have largely failed to provide what experts say is necessary to steer troops and...

Poisoned Water: How a Navy Ship Dumped Fuel and Sickened Its Own Crew

A years-long investigation reveals that the Boxer unintentionally compromised its own water supply in 2016.

Army News

Reconnaissance training for Special Forces soldiers

How to Add Extra Training to Prepare for Army Special Forces

Army or Marine Corps boot camps already do a great job preparing you for special operations programs, but additional training...

How Four Nuns Became the First Native American Women to Serve in the US Military

Today, American Indians and Alaska Natives serve in the Armed Forces at five times the national average — with the women...

Navy News

The wrecked destroyers USS Downes and USS Cassin in Drydock One after the attack on Pearl Harbor. (U.S. Navy)

The Civilian Who Fought Back Against Japanese Fighters at Pearl Harbor with a Crane

It's believed Walters' crane helped sailors from the Pennsylvania shoot down at least eight to 10 attacking fighters.

Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH) communications directorate personnel climb a ladder

Red Hill Working Group's Final Report Calls for Aquifer Remediation

The Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative—or WAI—unveiled its final report, which calls for aquifer remediation and an...

Air Force News

Fate of 8 Airmen Still Unknown as Search Mission Continues After Osprey Crashes Off Japan Coast

The Air Force and Pentagon provided no new details on the cause of the 353rd Special Operations Wing training crash Wednesday...

debris believed to be from a U.S. military Osprey aircraft is seen off the coast of Yakushima Island

Rescue Efforts Underway for 8 Crew Members Aboard Air Force Osprey That Crashed in Japan

Search-and-rescue operations are underway for the crew of an Air Force Osprey that crashed off the coast of a Japanese island...

Space Force News

Space Force Reports 2 Suicides This Year, Marking the First in the Service's Short History

Until this year, the relatively tiny and new Space Force had been an outlier among the other services as they have struggled...

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks to reporters in the Capitol building on Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Tommy Tuberville Is Just the Face of a 'Broken' Confirmation Process, Critics Say

Anger over Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockade of high-ranking military promotions may have hit a boiling point as a handful of...

Marine Corps News

U.S. Marine recruits stand in line to do pullups

A Marine Recruiter's 'Grooming' of a Teenage Recruit Led to an Investigation. The Family Says He's Still Terrorizing Them.

Thirty-six-year-old Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Champagne is now under investigation by military authorities after self...