Historical Military Operations

Dramatic visuals including night exercises, historical footage of combat actions, and technical operations showcasing military readiness and strategic deployments.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Nicholas Coulter, a CH-53E Super Stallion crew chief with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 466, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, observes the horizon during Warrior Shield 24 off the coast of Pohang, South Korea, Feb. 28, 2024. Warrior Shield 24 is an annual joint, combined exercise in the Republic of Korea that strengthens the combined defensive capabilities of ROK-U.S. Forces. This routine, regularly scheduled field training exercise provides the ROK-U.S. Marines the opportunity to rehearse combined operations, exchange knowledge, and demonstrate the strength and capability of the ROK-U.S. Alliance. Coulter is a native of Thailand. Marine Corps

A U.S. Marine, right, with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Rein.), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, relays instructions during a night casualty evacuation exercise aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) in the Sea of Japan, Sept. 12, 2022. The 31st MEU is operating aboard ships of the Tripoli 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.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael Perez, U.S. Air Forces Central Command A 6/7 engineering and installation team chief runs cable to his team to update a section of communication infrastructure at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Nov. 1, 2022. The A/6/7 team from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, were able to seamlessly hit the ground running and work alongside the Airmen from the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron in order to execute the mission.

A U.S. Army soldier drives an Avenger Air Defense System onto a 437th Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft during EXPLODEO at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, Jan. 24, 2024. Exercises like EXPLODEO are pivotal in validating Air Mobility Commands strategic agility and operational preparedness.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman William Rosado, 1st Combat Camera Squadron combat camera journeyman, conducts a ruck during Exercise Green Goblin at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, Dec. 6, 2022. This four-day exercise provides relevant and essential night-vision training to prepare combat camera Airmen with enhanced photographic and video capabilities required to capture imagery in low-light and no-light environments.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Nicholas Coulter, a CH-53E Super Stallion crew chief with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 466, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, observes the horizon during Warrior Shield 24 off the coast of Pohang, South Korea, Feb. 28, 2024. Warrior Shield 24 is an annual joint, combined exercise in the Republic of Korea that strengthens the combined defensive capabilities of ROK-U.S. Forces. This routine, regularly scheduled field training exercise provides the ROK-U.S. Marines the opportunity to rehearse combined operations, exchange knowledge, and demonstrate the strength and capability of the ROK-U.S. Alliance. Coulter is a native of Thailand. Marine Corps

Cpl. Uriah C. Patterson, from Fredericksburg, Virginia, steps out from the cockpit of an F/A-18 Hornet Oct. 1 during Forager Fury III. Aircraft maintenance Marines provide a major supporting role during FF III by inspecting, repairing and refueling aircraft. FF III is an overarching Marine Corps led exercise involving 1,300 personnel from Sept. 24 through Oct. 6 that emphasizes tactical aviation and aviation ground support on a unit level while training within the Marianas Island range complex. Patterson is a fixed wing aircraft airframe mechanic with Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael Gesford, 26th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King II loadmaster, visually assesses a drop zone during a combat employment exercise within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 2, 2022. The ACE exercise sharpened the aircrews skills, enabling them to drop rescue bundles critical to the survival of isolated personnel in austere, hostile environments during personnel recovery and combat search and rescue operations.

Russian Search and Rescue helicopter tail rotors are seen as teams wait to take off from Kustanay, Kazakhstan to support the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft landing with Expedition 41 Commander Max Suraev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), NASA Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman and Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (ESA) on Monday, Nov. 10, 2014. Suraev, Wiseman and Gerst returned to Earth after more than five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 40 and 41 crews.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Angel Delao, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, and a joint forward observer with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group assess simulated targets during a simulated nighttime close air support exercise at Barry M. Goldwater Range, Gila Bend, Arizona, March 30, 2023. 1st ANGLICO utilizes the training to enhance their technical proficiency in close air support techniques in conjunction with pilot currency training.

Maintenance and Logistics Commands Atlantic - Property Inventory Team - Venice - 26-HK-197-91. Hurricane Katrina

U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, breach an entry doorway during a close-quarter tactics range on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 5, 2024. Marines conduct training exercises to increase lethality and ensure effective responses in urban environments. 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 premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.

Military, people and green night vision, overlay or dark silhouette of spy, agent or terrorist risk to soldier. Police, surveillance or men training in infrared scope for army or security mission

111111-N-QL471-230ARABIAN GULF (Nov. 11, 2011) Hull Maintenance Technician 3rd Class Andrew T. Stewart welds bolts to a bulkhead aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). George H.W. Bush is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility on its first operational deployment conducting maritime security operations and support missions as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.

220504-N-OG067-1061ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 4, 2022) - Fireman Alex Weaver, assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), conducts maintenance on an eductor, May 4th, 2022. Bataan is underway in the 2nd fleet area of operations. Bataan is homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. William Betts, the commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, is shown how to operate a toolcat by an Airmen assigned to the 577th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron, Sept. 9, 2022, Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The 577th EPBS, one-half of the 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group, establishes and sustains airfield operations at locations where U.S. Air Force aircraft operate.

U.S. Airmen with the 325th Civil Engineer Squadron and Panama City Beach Fire Department firefighters, secure a simulated downed firefighter during training in Panama City, Florida, June 16, 2022. Bay County, Tyndall Air Force Base, Naval Support Activity Panama City and Panama City Beach Fire Department, validated new procedures and techniques for rescuing a firefighter in distress.

U.S. Air Force Airman Luke Studley and U.S. Army Pfc. Christopher Martin complete a performance evaluation at the Louis F. Garland Department of Defense Fire Academy, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Feb. 6, 2023. Students were blindfolded and evaluated on their ability to navigate the building and remove a simulated casualty.

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A soldier moves during a simulated house-to-house battle, taken as part of a Bundeswehr exercise with armed forces from Norway and the Czech Republic during the 'Wettiner Schwert' exercise as part of Quadriga 2024 in the training town of Schnoeggersburg, 8 April 2024

Military Photographer of the Year Winner 1999 TITLE: "Aft Boat Spray" CATEGORY: Portfolio PLACE: First Place Portfolio CAPTION INFORMATION: A Surface Warfare Combat Craftsman gets a view from the rear as he blends into a night canopy of trees and water spray from the high horsepower engines on the rear of the combat boat. The unit was training in Fort Knox, KY. IMAGE FILE #DD-SP-01-0038. Country: Unknown

OMAR SY in FATHER & SOLDIER (2022) -Original title: TIRAILLEURS-, directed by MATHIEU VADEPIED.

The soldiers shown are from the Air Force 514th Air Mobility Wing. They are at the Fort Dix MSTC (Medical Simulation Training Center) during their TC3 Medical Provider training. The TC3X is a state-of-the-art medical training device used to simulate an actual casualty that could be found on the battlefield. (photos taken by the Fort Dix Training Support Center / Daniel Amburg)

War album 47, picture 12726c.

A Russian search and rescue helicopter crew waits for the weather to clear before taking off from Kustanay, Kazakhstan to support the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft landing with Expedition 41 Commander Max Suraev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), NASA Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman and Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (ESA) on Monday, Nov. 10, 2014. Suraev, Wiseman and Gerst returned to Earth after more than five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 40 and 41 crews.

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A petty officer plays a call on a boatswain's pipe on the bridge of the aircraft carrier USS CONSTELLATION (CV 64) during PACEX '89. Subject Operation/Series: PACEX '89 Base: USS Constellation (CV 64)

Coast Guard Personnel - Miscellaneous - 26-HK-90-213. Coast Guardsman in headset sitting in rear of C-130--copy2. Hurricane Katrina

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U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jason Stewart, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command G-6 operations officer, right, speaks with his son, Senior Airman Cameron Stewart, Air Force Special Operations Command administrator, on an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft assigned to the 920th Rescue Wing, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, over Tampa, Florida, Sept. 1, 2022. J. Stewarts father, Rector Stewart, was an Air Force C-130 crew chief during the Vietnam War era. On Sept. 1, 2021, J. Stewart held his fathers hand during his final moments and promised to take his ashes on a C-130 for one last flight. One year after his fathers passing, J. Stewart fulfilled his promise by taking his fathers ashes on a C-130 flight that took off from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

040318-M-5523R-035. Base: Su Song Ri Country: Republic Of Korea (KOR)

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U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Adam Snider, dedicated crew chief, 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Sq., Creech Air Force Base, Nevada conducts post flight maintenance on an RQ-1 Predator at Aeropuerto Rafael Hernandez outside Aguadilla, Puerto Rico on 27 Jan., 2010. The RQ-1 remotely piloted systems are operating out of Puerto Rico in support of Operation Unified Response in Haiti. Airmen from Creech Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nev. are providing 24 hour a day full-motion video in real time to international relief workers on the ground in order to speed humanitarian aid to remote and cut-off areas of the country following the earthquake on 12 Jan., 2010.

A student in the Naval Aviation Water Survival Training Program (NAWSTP) is hoisted out of the pool as part of a helicopter rescue exercise. Base: Naval Air Station, Jacksonville State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

110531-N-DR144-100PACIFIC OCEAN (May 31, 2011) An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 is on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are underway in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

A U.S. Marine assigned to Charlie Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, inspects a target following a low-light, live-fire range at Exercise Cobra Gold in Chantaburi province, Thailand, Feb. 27, 2024. Cobra Gold, now in its 43rd year, is a Thai-U.S. co-sponsored training event that builds on the long-standing friendship between the two allied nations and brings together a robust multinational force to promote regional peace and security in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Marine Corps

U.S. Army engineers assigned to 911th Technical Rescue Engineer Company (TREC) train at a modular urban training site at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, April 28, 2022. The purpose of the training is to validate platoons on supporting collective rescue tasks, enhance mission readiness postures and prepare the 911th TREC for mission essential task validation during Exercise Capital Shield 2022.

020524-F-9085B-020. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Fob 31 Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

Protests in Cairo

230410-N-DU622-1258 PHILIPPINE SEA (April 10, 2023) A U.S. Navy Sailor participates in flight operations on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Soldiers paticipate in the lane 1917 during the European Best Sniper Team Competition at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Aug. 6, 2022. The annual European Best Sniper Team Competition is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa competition that tests marksmanship skills, physical prowess, and mental agility while developing relationships and sharing skills between sniper teams across Europe.

On Board Hm Submarine Tribune, 1942 Placing a torpedo in the forward stowage compartment of HMS TRIBUNE.

An Airman from the 375th Civil Engineering Squadron works on building tents during a Prime Base Emergency Force training at Belleville, Illinois, July 14, 2022. The Prime BEEF rehearsal utilized various units from the 375th CES simulating a deployment environment.

DM-ST-88-06905. Subject Operation/Series: MAD MOMENT Base: Quantico State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Spec ops police officer SWAT with ballistic shield.

U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Joshua Watson, the executive officer of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, calls in a nine line report during an air assault as part of Steel Knight 23 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Dec. 5, 2022. Steel Knight is an annual combined arms live-fire exercise which ensures 1st MARDIV is optimized for naval expeditionary warfare in contested spaces, and is purpose-built to facilitate future operations afloat and ashore. Watson is a native of Woodbridge, Virginia.

Coffins at Fort Breendonk, Belgium, Europe

US Air Force B-52 Bomber

A pilot from the 388th Fighter Wings 421st Fighter Squadron prepares to launch an F-35A Lightning II during night-flying operations at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, March 26, 2019. Night flying is required for pilots to sharpen their combat skills. The 388th FW is the Air Forces first combat-coded F-35A wing.

A crewman in protective clothing works to reconfigure a C-141 Starlifter aircraft into a medevac plane during a chemical warfare exercise. Base: Ramstein Air Base State: Rheinland-Pfalz Country: Deutschland / Germany (DEU)

During periodic drills, US Marines Corps (USMC) members from Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron (H&HS), Crash Fire Rescue, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma, stand-by in case a fire breaks out or rekindles as other members of their team attempt to save or salvage what they can from the simulated disaster. Base: Marine Corps Station, Futenma State: Okinawa Country: Japan (JPN)

U.S. Army Pfc. Krystian Martinez, 35th Air Defense Artillery, plots points on a map while participating in the night land navigation course held during the 2022 Eighth Army Best Warrior and Squad Competition at Camp Casey, South Korea, May 8, 2022. The Eighth Army Best Warrior and Squad Competition is a week-long competition consisting of several events to test the participants general Army knowledge and skills.

DF-ST-87-06781. Base: Eglin Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DF-SD-03-17243. Complete Scene Caption: A night vision shot as a US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III loadmaster watches seconds after the last of the first successful C-17 humanitarian airdrop of the Tri-Wall Aerial Delivery System (TRIADS) loaded with Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDR) goes out of the aircraft. Air Force C-17's delivered Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDR) in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM from Germany to Afghan refugees who massed inside the borders of Afghanistan. The C-17's carried more than 35,000 HDRs packed in 84 TRIAD boxes. Each box measures 80 inches tall and 48 inches square, containing 420 HDRs. The HDRs were delivered in a first of its kind, high-altitude airdrop. This is the first operational TRIAD delivery from a C-17 aircraft as well as the first combat airdrop mission performed by the C-17. (Duplicate image, see also DFSD0304011 or search 011006F1644L026) Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Unknown Scene Major Command Shown: undisclose

041012-M-0173F-004. Base: Ar Ramadi State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

A U.S. Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) enters the USS Portland with Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The Marines were taking part in an exercise on Black Beach, Somalia in support of UNOSOM II. Subject Operation/Series: UNISOM II Base: Black Beach Country: Somalia (SOM)

7.62 caliber shells fall into an armored vehicle during a Table VI Gunnery at Fort Stewart, Georgia, on Feb. 24, 2024. This exercise is conducted to qualify crews and prepare the company for any possible outcomes in the world. Army

U.S. Marines with 3d Battalion, 12th Marines fire an M777 towed 155 mm howitzer while conducting night live-fire training during Artillery Relocation Training Program 22.4 at the Yausubetsu Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Jan. 30, 2023. The skills developed at ARTP increase the proficiency and readiness of the only permanently forward-deployed artillery unit in the Marine Corps, enabling them to provide precision indirect fires.

DF-ST-88-08713. Subject Operation/Series: NOMAD THRUST Base: Eglin Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DN-ST-89-04423. Base: Naval Base, Charleston State: South Carolina (SC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Anefo photo collection. Fire in Tropenmuseum, part of roof was destroyed. March 18, 1965

U.S. Marines with Alpha Company, Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF), conduct proper decontamination procedures after extracting notional casualties from a simulated nuclear detonation training area during Scarlet Response 2022 at Guardian Centers of Georgia, Georgia, May 19, 2022. CBIRF Marines will bring casualties to decontamination tents, decontaminate and move them into a clean area for advanced medical care. Scarlet Response 2022 is designed to physically and mentally test CBIRF personnel and the units joint partners, the 911th Technical Rescue Engineer Company, in a simulated joint disaster response.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Simon Whitlock, an aerial gunner with the 4th Special Operations Squadron, participates in a training sortie on an AC-130J Ghostrider, April 27, 2022 at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The 4 SOS regularly performs training sorties on the AC-130J in order to ensure readiness to perform special operations missions any time, any place.

U.S. Marines with Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort begin the Corporals Course culminating event at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, Sept. 1, 2023. Corporals Course is a month-long professional military education program that develops Marines small unit leadership skills and continues to prepare them to lead Marines.

230403-N-NX635-1042 AT SEA (April 3, 2023) U.S. Navy Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Ayden Wheeler, from Reidsville, N.C., inspects an engine aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

011006-F-1644L-026. Complete Scene Caption: An Air Force C-17 Globemaster III loadmaster watches the first successful C-17 humanitarian airdrop of the Tri-Wall Aerial Delivery System (TRIADS) loaded with Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs) clears the aircraft. Air Force C-17s delivered HDRs in Support of ENDURING FREEDOM from Germany to Afghan refugees who have massed inside the borders of Afghanistan. The C-17s carried over 35,000 HDRs packaged in 84 TRIAD boxes, measuring 80 inches tall and 48 by 48 inches square, each filled with 420 HDRs. The HDRs were delivered in a first of its kind, high altitude airdrop. This is the first operational TRIAD delivery from C-17 aircraft and the first combat airdrop mission performed by a C-17. In addition to the humanitarian efforts, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM is in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), fighting terrorism abroad, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 at the New York World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The US is

U.S. Marines with Force Reconnaissance Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force conduct military operations in urbanized terrain (MOUT) training in Okinawa, Japan, May 25, 2022. MOUT training enhances the Marines ability to communicate and maneuver in urban environments by practicing fundamentals of movement.

An airman tags a "wounded soldier" in a tent area preparing him for flight during exercise Reforger '80. Subject Operation/Series: REFORGER '80 Base: Wunstdorf German Air Force Base Country: West Germany (FRG)

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