Combat Training and Operations

Dynamic scenes of military personnel engaged in combat training and operations. Includes weapons handling, urban tactics, and multi-national exercises across various terrains.

United States Army ranger in the mountains.

Joint Readiness Training Center at Ft. Polk

Members of U.S. Naval Special Warfare Task Unit Europe (NSWTU-E) conduct maritime Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) training alongside Croatian Zapovjedništvo Specialjalnih Snaga (ZSS) in Split, Croatia, April 14, 2022. For the Croatian ZSS, Joint Combined Exchange Training, or JCET with partner nations is not uncommon. The ZSS were founded in 2000 as the Special Operations Battalion and since then, its operators have participated in multiple operations, including stints in Afghanistan as part of NATOs International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

A U.S. Marine with 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division, directs a CH-53E Super Stallion, transporting Marines from amphibious operations, to a landing zone on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan April 26, 2022. This specialized insertion and extraction training provided Marines with enhanced skills and confidence necessary for clandestine operations, ensuring they are prepared to execute a diverse set of waterborne reconnaissance and surveillance missions to maintain regional security in the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, crawl through obstacles during the bayonet assault course at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, July 26, 2022. The course consisted of different obstacles that simulated the type of terrain Marines may come across in combat.

Airmen from the 820th RED HORSE airborne flight prepare to parachute out of a C-130 Hercules during a Joint Forcible Entry Exercise May 31, 2013, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Once on the ground, the airborne engineers will assess and repair any simulated runway damage.

U.S. Army Cpl. Joseph K. Withers, left, and Pfc. Owen J. Rife, both assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord provide basic fire to cover a flanking maneuver against Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team out of Alaska as opposing forces during Exportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) program at Camp Roberts, California, July 20, 2022. XCTC is a series of training exercises between an active-duty U.S. Army brigade and an Army National Guard brigade, intended to increase the skills and readiness of National Guard units.

220602-N-QP737-1202 ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 2, 2022) Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Maxine Martinez fires an M240 on the boat deck during a live-fire exercise aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77), June 2, 2022. The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) is underway completing a certification exercise to increase U.S. and allied interoperability and warfighting capability before a future deployment. The GHWBCSG is an integrated combat weapons system that delivers superior combat capability to deter, and if necessary, defeat America's adversaries in support of national security.

Army soldier breaking through battlefield covered in flames.

Soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey Army National Guard conduct a Live Fire Exercise on July 12, 2022 at the eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) exercise at Fort Drum, New York. More than 2,500 Soldiers are participating in the training event, which enables brigade combat teams to achieve the trained platoon readiness necessary to deploy, fight, and win.

U.S. Army Soldiers with Task Force Sinai, participate in a Best Squad Competition at South Camp, Egypt, April 11-12, 2022; culminating in an awards ceremony April 14, 2022. The Soldiers conducted a series of events to measure their physical fitness, military discipline and team cohesion to include an Army Combat Fitness Test, stress shoot, medical lane, forced march, obstacle course and squad board.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Gregory Shriver, a Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, native and machine gunner with 2d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, operates an M240B machine gun during Technology Operational Experimentation Exercise (TOEE) 22 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 28, 2022. TOEE 22 is specifically focused on emerging Naval concepts, such as expeditionary advanced base operations to provide selective science and technology initiatives with service-level experimentation through expeditionary logistics/naval sustainment, littoral maneuver-mobility using unmanned systems and sensors, and logistics operations as part of a maritime command and control network.

U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), 173rd Airborne Brigade bound towards an objective as fellow paratroopers suppress the enemy during a team live fire iteration as part of exercise Repel Resolve II at Monte Romano training site, Viterbo, Italy, Jan. 22, 2024.The Repel Resolve II exercise develops small-team lethality and experience, increasing the battalion's ability to operate across the Brigade Support Area of operation.The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance.

U.S. Army Capt. Sonia Gonzalez with 198th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Illinois Army National Guard, waits for her next target to pop up on a mock range during an Engagement Skills Trainer in support of the Golden Coyote Training Exercise at Camp Rapid, South Dakota, June 14, 2022. Golden Coyote is a three-phase scenario driven exercise conducted in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, which enables Commanders to focus on mission essentials warrior tasks and drills.

Idaho Army National Guard Sgt. Nathan Rohrback (left) gives instruction to soldiers in the shoot house.Idaho Army National Guard Soldiers from Charlie Company, 2-116th Combined Arms Battalion spent a portion of their annual training working inside the Orchard Combat Training Center Shoot House.The Shoot House is not another range but a tactical training environment where soldiers sharpen their skills in entering and clearing a room and various passageways in tight, close quarters areas. The exercise requires squad leaders to clearly communicate directions to identify potential threats and respond strategically and effectively to those threats.Idaho Army National Guard Soldiers are currently preparing to deploy in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

PHILIPPINE SEA (Jan. 27, 2022) Seaman Anthony Rios, from Sanelizario, Texas, assigned to the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20), fires a 50-caliber machine gun off the port side of the ship. Green Bay, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jonathan D. Berlier)

Senior Airman Anthony Wachob, a member of the 821st Contingency Response Group, radios in from a defensive fighting position while on perimeter watch at Qayyarah West Airfield, Iraq, Nov. 17, 2016. The 821st CRG is highly specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain and coordinate air mobility operations in austere, bare-base conditions.

A Marine mans the M-60E3 machine gun mounted atop a vehicle after coming ashore during the joint South Korean/U.S. exercise Valiant Blitz '90. Subject Operation/Series: VALIANT BLITZ '91 Country: Korea

U.S. Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Abigail Hughes, a Woodbridge, Virginia, native and an infantry officer with 2d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, operates a radio during Technology Operational Experimentation Exercise (TOEE) 22 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 28, 2022. TOEE 22 is specifically focused on emerging Naval concepts, such as expeditionary advanced base operations to provide selective science and technology initiatives with service-level experimentation through expeditionary logistics/naval sustainment, littoral maneuver-mobility using unmanned systems and sensors, and logistics operations as part of a maritime command and control network.

030426-M-3692C-012. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

A U.S. Marine Corps recruit with Alpha Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, labels their rifle during M16A4 service rifle issue at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, June 13, 2022. Regardless of their military occupation specialty, recruits are indoctrinated in the traditional relationship between a Marine and their rifle, and are thoroughly briefed on their responsibilities regarding rifle security, safety and handling.

Armed special forces soldier with sniper rifle standing in field.

A 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) noncommissioned officer takes aim at a target during Group Support Battalion, 10th SFG (A)s noncommissioned officer evaluation on Fort Carson, Colorado, Jul. 12-14, 2022. Noncommissioned officers from GSB, 10th SFG (A) participated in a 3-day NCO assessment in basic Soldier skills.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Tyler Litten, a combat arms instructor assigned to the Ohio National Guards 180th Fighter Wing, fires an M240 machine gun during a heavy weapons training event at Fort Custer in Augusta, Mich., Jan. 9, 2024. The training gives Airmen hands-on experience with various heavy weapons, ensuring they are prepared for any situation around the world. (Air National Guard

US Marine Corps Corporal Michael R. Parker, air crew chief, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 reinforced, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit "lets loose" with a GAU-17 mini-gun while his UH-1 Huey makes a pass over the "hot" target area for which his crew provided Close Air Support during VALIANT USHER 98-1's combined arms, live-fire training conducted recently in Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Australia. Subject Operation/Series: VALIANT USHER 98-1 Base: Shoalwater Bay State: Queensland Country: Australia (AUS)

Navy SEAL frogman with complete diving gear and weapons in the water.

Sharp shooter with his accuracy rifle AWM with an observer next to him during SFOR.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Hiram Sanders, with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, pulls security for Spc. William Gregory and an Iraqi policeman as they try to break into a gate leading to an abandoned house in order to search it during a combined cordon and search in the West Rashid district of Baghdad, Iraq, June 26, 2007.

U.S. Marines with 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, fire a M240B machine gun at Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif., Jan. 25, 2022. Marines with 3/3 conducted an M240B machine gun live-fire range as part of Mountain Warfare Training Exercise 2-22 in order to increase combat lethality and readiness. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Patrick King)

U.S. Marines in action on a smoke filled battlefield.

U.S. Marines with Maritime Special Purpose Force (MSPF), 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conduct room clearing during Close Quarter Tactics Training, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Oct. 4, 2022. During the seven-week course, the students learned the tactics, techniques, and procedures conducting a raid involving CQT. The skills instructed during this course will ensure the MSPF is prepared to support the 26th MEUs Mission Essential Task List for the upcoming deployment.

U.S. East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALs), U.S. Army Green Berets from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and Norwegian Naval Special Operations Commandos conduct close quarters combat training aboard U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Cypress (WLB 210), to strengthen interoperability with and develop skills in an extreme Arctic environment in Kodiak, Alaska, Feb. 24, 2024, during Arctic Edge 24. AE24 is an annual defense exercise for U.S. Northern Command emphasizing Joint Force operations in an extreme cold weather and high latitude environment and is designed to demonstrate the Commands ability to conduct Globally Integrated Layered Defenses in the Arctic. Navy

U.S. Green Berets from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), conduct Close Quarter Battle (CQB) training at Grafenwöhr, Germany, Sept. 16, 2022. This special operations forces led exercise is designed to offer advanced combined tactics training in coordination with strengthening NATO Allies capabilities, information sharing, and defending against adversaries in the European Theater.

Cpl. Billy J. Masek holds security for his squad while they clear a building Nov. 4 during exercise Blue Chromite 15. Chromite demonstrates the Navy/Marine Corps amphibious and expeditionary capabilities from the sea. Masek, from Atlanta, Georgia, is a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, currently assigned to 4th Marine Regiment under the unit deployment program.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Adam Hytrek, a scout sniper with Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, provides overwatch for a visit, board, search, and seizure exercise on the USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5) in the Philippine Sea, Feb. 11, 2023. The VBSS exercise refined Marines skills in maritime interdiction operations by incorporating real world scenarios. The 31st MEU is operating aboard ships of the America Amphibious Ready Group in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Honorable Christine Wormuth, U.S. Secretary of the Army, center, meets with 4th Infantry Division Soldiers during her visit at Fort Carson, Colorado, June 8, 2022. Wormuths tour of the Mountain Post concluded with Ivy Mass, a training mission building unity amongst the U.S. Military.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Martin Barbosa, NCOIC Lightweight Machine Gun Course instructor evaluates targets hit and provides feedback to U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Blaine Hale, student, during the live firing portion of the qualification course at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis, Texas, Oct. 3, 2022. The course is two-weeks long culminating in three days where students familiarize themselves with weapons by live firing in multiple conditions and is designed to ready students for mission demands on day-one of assignment at their new base where this training is not available.

040217-M-6795S-013. Base: Marine Corps Base, Camp Fuji State: Honshu Country: Japan (JPN)

RESTREPO (2010), directed by SEBASTIAN JUNGER and TIM HETHERINGTON.

Police special reaction team aiming guns while moving forward under cover of ballistic shield on a raid.

Recruits with Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, receive coaching during grass week on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Feb 20, 2024. At the conclusion of grass week, recruits are tested on their knowledge of weapon safety and the fundamentals of marksmanship. Marine Corps

Black silhouette of soldier in the burning fire during a battle operation.

Corporal DeChristopher Curtin, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, holding an M203 40mm grenade launcher, stands post on a street in Gnjilane. The U.S. Marines are part of NATO Operation Joint Guardian and are helping to enforce the implementation of the military technical agreement and provide peace and stability to Kosovo. Subject Operation/Series: JOINT GUARDIAN Base: Gnjilane State: Kosovo Country: Yugoslavia (YUG)

U.S. Army Felix Saucedo, a New York native and combat engineer, with 588th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, interigates a point of interest for possible improvised explosive devices during a platoon live fire and route clearance training at Trzebien, Poland, Sept. 1, 2022. The 3/4th ABCT is among other units assigned to 1st Infantry Division, proudly working alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America's forward-deployed corps in Europe.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Braxton Summers, a motor transportation operator with 3rd Transportation Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, provides overwatch during a bilateral vehicle recovery training during exercise Resolute Dragon 22 at Kamifurano Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 5, 2022. Resolute Dragon 22 is an annual exercise designed to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance by exercising integrated command and control, targeting, combined arms, and maneuver across multiple domains.

German Paratrooper (Bundeswehr) with the 4. Kompanie/Fallschirmjaeger, Regiment 26, clear a room during an urban terrain warfare exercise in Smith Barrack at Baumholder, Germany, August 24, 2022. The unit trained in preparation for future Movement Over Urban Terrain Village exercises and scenarios.

Soldiers in camouflage military uniforms carrying weapons, Reconnaissance missions in the tropical forest area, Assault infantry battle training. Soldiers in camouflage military uniforms carrying weapons, Reconnaissance missions in the tropical forest area, Assault infantry battle training. ,model released, Symbolfoto Copyright: xZoonar.com/WosunanxPhotostoryx 21541909 ,model released, Symbolfoto ,property released

U.S. Marines assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2/6, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and Swedish soldiers assigned to 5th Company, South Scania Regiment P7, conduct a raid exercise in Ravlunda, Sweden, Aug. 28, 2022. The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd MEU, under the command and control of Task Force 61/2, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

030422-M-4330P-011. Subject Operation/Series: TANDEM THRUST 2003 Base: Andersen Air Base State: Guam (GU) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Marines with the maritime raid force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, fast rope during a helicopter rope suspension techniques sustainment exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 17, 2024. The exercise sustained the MRFs HRST proficiency in insert and extract capabilities for the 31st MEU, and included fast rope, rappelling, helocasting and special patrol insertion and extraction rigging. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.

Marines from Weapons Company (WC), 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment race their Interim Fast Attack Vehicle (IFAV) along the North Field, on Tinian Island, in support of Exercise TANDEM THRUST 2003. Subject Operation/Series: TANDEM THRUST 2003 Base: Tinian Island Country: Northern Mariana Islands (MNP)

A Marine moves cautiously through a building in combat town, a mock town built for small unit combat training. The Marine is armed with an M-249 5.56mm squad automatic weapon (SAW). State: Okinawa Country: Japan (JPN)

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, compete against one another during a pugil sticks event at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Sept. 27, 2022. Recruits executed numerous Marine Corps Martial Arts Program techniques throughout the Pugil Sticks event.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Flowers, a structural craftsman assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing, Detachment 1, also known as Deployment Cell or D-Cell, maintains security during a training exercise at Camp Mad Bull on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 7, 2023. Based out of MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, D-Cell consists of 54 members across 15 job codes forming four agile teams, whose primary role is to bare base - to rapidly turn undeveloped locations into fully functional bases. The unit visited Alaska to train and test their capabilities in an arctic environment.

On the afternoon of May 23rd, 1996, SGT Terry Daniels, 1ST Platoon, B Battery, 4th Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, rides through the the top of an M-109A2, 155mm, Self Propelled Howitzer, and holds onto a 50 caliber machine gun, on the way to a live fire exercise near Glamoc, Bosnia-Herzegovina (XJ 5282), in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. Subject Operation/Series: JOINT ENDEAVOR Base: Glamoc Country: Bosnia And/I Herzegovina (BIH)

U.S. Army Spc. Michael Jones, a security force team member for Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Farah, pulls security in Farah City during a graduation ceremony for local Afghan interns who completed the RAMP UP program in support of education, governance and and capacity building initiatives in Farah province, Nov. 4. PRT Farah's mission is to train, advise, and assist Afghan government leaders at the municipal, district, and provincial levels in Farah Province Afghanistan. Their civil military team is comprised of members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

060201-A-2718K-001. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Mosul Country: Iraq (IRQ)

041117-M-2353F-011. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

An 8th Civil Engineer Squadron emergency management augmentee reads a chemical agent detector during a training event at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Sept. 14, 2022. Visible bars on the detector confirm the presence of a chemical agent.

Portrait of soldier Portrait of soldier in camouflage uniform ,model released, Symbolfoto Copyright: xZoonar.com/SergeyxSukhorukovx 1703363 ,model released, Symbolfoto ,property released

US Air Force Technical Sergeant Trace Sexton, 136TH Security Forces Squadron, Fort Worth, Texas, mans the main entry control point of the Mississippi National Guard Combat Training Center during Exercise DEFENDER CHALLENGE 2000. He carries a 5.56mm M16 assault rifle with Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (M.I.L.E.S) gear on it and also has M.I.L.E.S gear on his vest and helmet. Base: Mississippi Ang Center State: Mississippi (MS) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Young Afghan Security Forces Member Shows Off Heart Stickers on his AK-47

A member of the 101st Airborne Division cleans an M-16A2 rifle while waiting for transportation to his duty station at the start of Operation Desert Storm.. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Unknown

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gregory Collins, 20th Security Forces Squadron installation patrolman, holds his mock weapon in the ready stance while awaiting further instruction during an active shooter exercise at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Sep. 26, 2022. Each phase of the active shooter exercise requires different approaches from each of the Airmen on the team to ensure unit cohesion.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gregory Collins, 20th Security Forces Squadron installation patrolman, holds his mock weapon in the ready stance while awaiting further instruction during an active shooter exercise at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Sep. 26, 2022. Each phase of the active shooter exercise requires different approaches from each of the Airmen on the team to ensure unit cohesion.

Special Forces Soldiers from the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) throw M67 fragmentation grenades at Orchard Combat Training Center during Western Strike 22, June 12, 2022. Western Strike 22 is an eXportable Combat Training Capabilities exercise led by the 65th Field Artillery Brigade, Utah National Guard, that provides National Guard Soldiers immersed training similar to a combat training center and aims to increase participating unit's readiness and lethality.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua Webster, a fire support Marine with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, loads a magazine for Table 3A course of fire range during ANGLICO Basic Course 1-22 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, April 5, 2022. This basic training enhances the capabilities of ANGLICO Marines to plan and execute liaison missions in support of joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational operations.

A member of the security police force, armed with an M16A2 rifle, surveys the area during a Operational Readiness Evaluation practice at the 174th Fighter Wing in Syracuse, New York. A member of the security police force, armed with an M16A2 rifle, surveys the area during a Operational Readiness Evaluation practice at the 174th Fighter Wing in Syracuse, New York.

051014-A-1327A-063. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Eawala Kot Country: Pakistan (PAK) Scene Major Command Shown: CJTF-76

DA-ST-87-12805. Subject Operation/Series: TEAM SPIRIT '87 Base: Fort Ord State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team train with M224 60 mm mortar systems during an exercise at Camp McGregor, New Mexico, Jan. 14, 2024. They are training at Camp McGregor as they prepare for a deployment to the Horn of Africa.

SWAT Team United States Military

A U.S. Marine with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 462, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing prepares to direct a taxiing CH-53E Super Stallion during Mountain Training Exercise 1-23 (MTX) at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif., Oct. 7, 2022. HMH-462 supported 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division during MTX while enhancing self-deployment capability and advancing mission skill progression in a high-altitude, austere environment.

special forces soldiers team in urban environment making tactical assault action

AIR BASE 201, Niger - U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ryan Kaleo, 409th Air Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron member, responds to an active shooter exercise at Air Base, 201, Niger, Oct. 25, 2022. The exercise tested the response from units base-wide. The purpose of the exercise was to evaluate the ability of personnel in the facility under attack to protect themselves and the ability of all organizations on base to implement a lockdown.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Walter Hix, a crew chief with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 773, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve in support of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force UNITAS LXIII, fires a M134 GAU-17 minigun while conducting a close air support drill as part of exercise UNITAS LXIII at Santa Cruz Air Force Base, Rio De Janeiro, Sept. 8, 2022. UNITAS trains forces to conduct joint maritime operations through the execution of anti-surface, anti-submarine, anti-air, amphibious and electronic warfare operations that enhance warfighting proficiency and increase interoperability among participating naval and marine forces. Hix is a native of Arab, Alabama.

SANTA RITA, Guam (July 12, 2022) Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Anthony Thomas, assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Group (MESG) 1, Detachment Guam, participates in a sentry boat simulator during a unit level training practice on Naval Base Guam.

Marine Lance CPL. Drew of the training platoon gives a class on the M-2 50-caliber machine gun to Marines of Combat Service Support Detachment 36 (CSSD-36). Base: Marine Corps Base, Camp Fuji State: Honshu Country: Japan (JPN)

LCPL Aaron Gobert, a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, mans a 5.56mm M-249 squad automatic weapon (SAW) in a sandbagged bunker guarding an entrance to the Joint Task Force Somalia headquarters. The headquarters was established at the former U.S. Embassy compound during the multinational relief effort Operation Restore Hope. Subject Operation/Series: RESTORE HOPE Base: Mogadishu Country: Somalia (SOM)

Moldovan soldiers move as a squad before entering a room during an extraction drill at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Feb. 5, 2024. JMRC trains leaders, staffs, units up to Brigade Combat Teams, and multinational partners to dominate in the conduct of Unified Land Operations anywhere in the world, now and in the future. Army

United Kingdom Royal Marines from 45 Commando and U.S. Army Green Berets from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) stealthily approach a doorway during close quarter battle training at Grafenwöhr Training Area, Germany, Sept. 22, 2022. This Special Forces-led exercise is designed to improve their ability to work with the United Kingdoms Commando Forces in a time of crisis.

Members of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment carry water to their camp in an abandoned Iraqi training compound near Dahuk. The Marines are in the area as part of Operation Provide Comfort, an Allied effort to aid Kurdish refugees who fled the forces of Saddam Hussein in northern Iraq. Subject Operation/Series: PROVIDE COMFORT Country: Iraq(IRQ)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Zenon Bollard, 8th Security Forces Squadron defender, takes cover behind an armored vehicle during a training event at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Sept. 14, 2022. During the training event, Airmen responded to various scenarios to evaluate their abilities and proficiency in combat missions.

National Guard troops secure Washington, DC on Inauguration Day, 2021.

During a ceremony, a Marine of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, hangs the identification tag of a Marine killed in action during a ceremony to honor the regimentÄôs fallen Marines and sailors while serving in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, at Boondocker training area on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, June 1.

A US Marine Scans a Suspected Al Qaeda Camp Through the Site of an M-16 in the Foothills of Afghanistan's Hindu Kush Mountains

Special Forces Group (SFG) soldiers with "C" Company, 1ST Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), armed with 5.56mm M4 Carbines and FNMI 5.56 mm M249 Squad Automatic Weapons (SAW), take precautionary measures as they search house-to-house for suspected Taliban enemy in the city of Naray, in support of ENDURING FREEDOM. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Naray Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

U.S. Air Force Maj. Jared Alden, right, 621st Mobility Support Operations Squadron air mobility liaison officer, uses a radio to call quick response forces during Advanced Ready Training - Outside the Wire at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Feb. 9, 2024. The ART-OTW course is a pre-deployment requirement to gain experience in specialized tactics and techniques through strenuous training scenarios. Air Force

PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 6, 2021) Boatswains Mate 2nd Class William Lulias, from Jacksonville, Fla., fires an M240B machine gun during a live-fire exercise aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59), Jan. 6, 2021. Russell, part of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. As the U.S. Navys largest forward deployed fleet, with its approximate 50-70 ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and 20,000 Sailors in the area of operations at any given time, U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in support of U.S. national interests throughout a free and open Indo-Pacific area of operations to foster maritime security, promote stability, and prevent conflict alongside 35 other maritime nations and partners.

Airmen from the 139th Maintenance Group cover assets to prepare for a simulated attack as part of a Large Scale Readiness Exercise at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, St. Joseph, Missouri, June 3, 2022. This exercise tested the wing's ability to deploy into a contested environment.

Military tank and soldier, Troops prepare equipment

Green Berets U.S. Army Special Forces Group soldier in the rain.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dave DeFreitas, a rifleman with 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, carries a simulated casualty during the Super Squad Competition at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, June 13, 2022. The week-long Super Squad Competition incorporates a variety of combat-related tasks designed to evaluate each squads proficiency.

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