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Military Operations and Landscapes

Dramatic visuals of military operations with aircraft, soldiers in training at sunset, and concealed artillery amidst natural landscapes.

A C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 86th Airlift Wing departs Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 7, 2022. The security assistance the U.S. is providing to Ukraine is enabling critical success on the battlefield against the Russian invading force.

A Marine carrying a flashlight at night walks in front of the Base-Ex tents constructed for Marines assigned to 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion (LAAD), following a live fire exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., June 7, 2016. 2nd LAAD conducted a live fire exercise to maintain proficiency and accuracy with the FIM-92 Stinger missile launcher.

U.S. Army Infantrymen assigned to the East Africa Response Force (EARF) participate in an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise (EDRE) to provide security at the U.S. Embassy, Mogadishu, Somalia, April 22, 2022. The Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa deploys the EARF to support Department of State partners in fixed-site security and evacuation support to protect U.S. Government facilities and personnel and to enable U.S. Embassies to continue operations in challenging security environments.

Troops at Fort McCoy, Wis., for training work on equipment and vehicles on North Post on Sept. 10, 2022, at the installation as the sun sets for the day. The troops were on post for weekend training. During September 2022, thousands of troops trained at Fort McCoy for institutional training and extended combat and weekend training. Fort McCoy's motto is to be the Total Force Training Center.”

DF-ST-85-13225. Subject Operation/Series: REFORGER Base: Bellenhausen Country: West Germany (FRG)

The Freedom Wall at the National World War Two Memorial on the National Mall in Washington DC.

Aerial view of Overlord bridge from second world war, Arromanches, Normandy, France.

DF-ST-89-04287. Subject Operation/Series: RIMPAC 88 Base: Bellows Air Station, Oahu State: Hawaii (HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Recruits with Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, tackle the rappel tower at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Jan. 9, 2023.The 47-foot-tall rappel tower helps recruits overcome their fear of heights and to trust their gear.

Inter-American Defense College Staff, Faculty and Students tour Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pa., Sept. 23, 2022. The Park protects and interprets the landscape of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. There are 43,000 American Civil War artifacts that are displayed in the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center. The Visit It is an academic field study that is part of the master's program offered by the college.

U.S. Air Force Academy -- The U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Honor Guard performs a 21-Gun Salute in honor of classmate Cadet 3rd Class Hunter Brown during a taps vigil on Jan. 26, 2023 on the Academy's Terrazzo in Colorado Springs, Colo. Cadet Hunter Brown died Jan. 9, 2023 after suffering a medical emergency while walking to class, the vigil was attended by the Cadet Wing and Academy Leadership and held to show strength and solidarity honoring his commitment to service.

Commemorative and explanatory map of the battle of the Normandy landings in the Second World War. Omaha Beach, French Normandy.

U.S. Air Force tactical air control party specialists assigned to Detachment 1, 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, ascends a cliff during mountaineering training at Sunshine Ridge, Alaska, Aug. 25, 2022. The 3rd ASOS special warfare Airmen utilize Alaskas varied and austere training locations to prepare for conditions they may face on deployment.

DN-ST-88-00538. Base: Coronado State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 6 (CLB-6), Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, execute a skirmish formation during a land navigation exercise in preparation for exercise Freezing Winds 22 in Syndalen, Finland, Oct. 12, 2022. Task Force Red Cloud, headquartered by elements of CLB-6, is deployed to Finland in support of Exercises SYD 2022 and Freezing Winds 2022 to enhance U.S. and Finnish select interdependence in the maritime domain; solidify bilateral maritime maneuver within the Finnish littoral environment; and foster strong relationships between U.S. Marine Corps and Finnish Defense Force sustainment units.

Special forces men paddling Army kayak across the river at dusk.

SAVUSAVU, Republic of Fiji (June 04, 2022) - Builder 3rd Class Brett Feind, from Belgium, Wisconsin, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 (NMCB-3), uses a chop saw to cut steel rods in Fiji during Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22). Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.

South Africa, Natal, Blood River Battle Site

Firefighter extinguishes a heptane 2B-Pan fire with a 2-BTP extinguisher, Illinois, Chicago, USA, North America

060325-N-6901L-137. Base: Tarmiya State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Men showing paratroopers , Bangalore , Karnataka , India

Aerial view four soldiers and jeeps in the Danakil Depression, Assale saline lake, Ethiopia

This photograph of a PMA-2 Anti-Personnel Mine was used for mine awareness pamphlets and posters during Operation Joint Endeavor on Rajlovac, a French compound, norhtwest of Sarajevo. Subject Operation/Series: JOINT ENDEAVOR Base: Raijlovac Country: Bosnia And/I Herzegovina (BIH)

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 19, 2012) Sailors and tiger cruise participants aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) observe a night gun shoot from the ships hangar bay. Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are underway on a tiger cruise after completing a deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations.

A U.S. Soldier, attached to 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, maintains security position during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, Feb. 15, 2024. Soldiers pulled security along the woodline in preparation for a one-kilometer troop movement.JPMRC 24-02, executed in Alaska with its world-class training facilities and its harsh Arctic environment, builds Soldiers and leaders into a cohesive team of skilled, tough, alert, and adaptive warriors capable of fighting and winning anywhere in the world. Army

970621-N-9354D-003. Subject Operation/Series: KERNEL BLITZ '97 Base: Uss Peleliu (LHA 5) Scene Major Command Shown: HMH-164 on USS Peleliu

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Koe, 81st Expeditionary Rescue Squadron (ERQS) HC-130J Combat King II loadmaster, looks out a window over the Red Sea, Sept. 7, 2022, during a tactical air refueling mission. The 81st ERQS is a rapidly deployable combat search and rescue force that can conduct tactical air refueling, airdrop and airland of personnel and/or equipment during day or night operations in support of combat personnel recovery within Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa area of responsibility.

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii (July 30, 2022) Mexican Naval Infantry Marines launch combat rubber raiding craft as part of an amphibious assault during an amphibious raid for a multinational littoral operations exercise as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 at Pyramid Rock Beach, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 30, 2022. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, three submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

Young boys learn about history at Yorktown Battlefield in Virginia.

Mt. Suribachi is visible from the volcanic ash beaches at Iwo To, Japan, May 31, 2022. Mount Suribachi is the island's most prominent feature and was the site of the famous U.S. Marine Corps flag raising on February 23, 1945. Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force traveled to Iwo To for a professional military education where they learned about the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Officers from various fighter squadrons lift a piano into a burning pit Sept. 23, 2016, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. Pianos are burned every year in memory of the Battle of Britain, which took place during World War II, and those pilots who never came home.

U.S. Marines and Sailors with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, depart for Bougainville III in a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 535th Airlift Squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, Jan. 11, 2024. Bougainville III is a 3d LCT live-fire exercise focused on decentralized operations to prepare the battalion to command and control forces from dispersed locations.

France, Landes, La Piste beach in Capbreton, blockhouse tagged. 2nd World War

A U.S. service member participates in the Norwegian Foot March at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, April 8, 2022. Military members from all branches of service were challenged to complete an 18.6-mile ruck march around MacDill in their allotted time to earn the Norwegian Armed Forces Skill badge.

040712-F-4691W-012. Base: Eielson Air Force Base State: Alaska (AK) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) with Fox Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve postures for a fire mission during exercise Arctic Edge 2024 (AE24) on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Feb. 26, 2024. Fox Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, became the first unit to use HIMARS in combat in 2007. AE24 is a U.S. Northern Command-led homeland defense exercise demonstrating the U.S. militarys capabilities in extreme cold weather, joint force readiness, and U.S. military commitment to mutual strategic security interests in the arctic region. Marine Corps

The Week of the Warrior is in full swing, as competitors from the 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division complete the challenges presented to them on the second day of the competition, May 3, 2022, on Camp Casey, Republic of Korea. The Soldiers participated in a combat run, confidence course, stress shoot, and a M4 familiarization qualification.

U.S. Marines with Task Force Koa Moana 22, I Marine Expeditionary Force, and members of the Palau Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Environment (MAFE), hike during an environmental survey in Ngiwal, Republic of Palau, July 15, 2022. The Marines and members of MAFE surveyed and measured the terrain for future development. Exercises such as Task Force Koa Moana demonstrate U.S. commitment through routine operations that foster peace and security and develop relations with partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

Drone view of Confederate Memorial State Historic Site, Higginsville, Missouri shows confederate flags.

Night View of a U.S. Marine Corps Forward Operating Base in Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

A U.S. Marine with 2d Reconnaissance Battalion, 2d Marine Division, prepares his skis for an eight-mile movement during cold weather training on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Dec. 3, 2022. This training was conducted to enhance the units combat effectiveness in extreme cold weather as they prepare for an upcoming deployment to Marine Corps Forces Europe-Africa theater of operations.

France, Normandy, Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer, Omaha Beach. 66th Anniversary of D-Day.

Wreck of SS Speke near Kitty Miller Bay

Airmen with multiple Air National Guard security forces units learn squad tactics pulling an ahkio sled Jan. 18, 2023, as part of a 16-day Cold-Weather Operations Course led by the Air Force at Fort McCoy, Wis. More than 50 Airmen are participating in the training from across the Air Force. Besides learning about use of snowshoes and moving as a squad over terrain pulling an ahkio sled in a cold-weather environment, the Airmen also learned about cold-weather shelters, survival techniques, cold-weather uniform wear, and more. Fort McCoy has a long history of supporting cold-weather training. Eighty years prior to this training, in January 1943, the installation hosted winter training for the Army's 76th Division prior to the Division deploying to Europe to fight in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

010521-F-1644L-019. Subject Operation/Series: TANDEM THRUST Base: Rockhampton State: Queensland Country: Australia (AUS) Scene Major Command Shown: Combined Combat Camera Team

Firefighter extinguishes a heptane 2B-Pan fire with a 2-BTP extinguisher, Illinois, Chicago, USA, North America

CAPAS, Philippines - U.S. Army Sgt. Jesse Untalan, a video broadcaster and California native, U.S. Pacific Army Command, records video of his great-grandfather's name, Pedro Untalan, a survivor of the Bataan death march, etched on the wall at the Capas National Shrine, April 14, Capas, Tarlac Province, Philippines, while participating in military exercise Balikatan 2013. BK13 is an annual military exercise in the Philippines focused on interoperability between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. to build military-to-military relations and cooperation. Untalan great-grandfather's served in the U.S. Army, and was among the tens of thousands of men and women honored on the memorial's walls who endured inhuman conditions at prisoner of war camps including Camp O'Donnell and locations throughout Tarlac, Province. An estimated 60,600 Filipinos and 9,900 Americans painstakingly marched from April 9-15, 1942.

Airmen assigned to the 91st and 50th Air Refueling Squadron's participate in a 9/11 memorial run in Tampa, Florida, Sept. 9, 2022. During the event, Airmen rucked 9.11 miles to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks and strengthen group cohesion among both flying squadrons.

Pvt. Justin Hill, A Co., 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, climbs the training tower on Camp Victory, Iraq, for a familiarization climb on August 23rd, 2008, while his supervisor Sgt. Joseph Raymond Chavis, C Co., waits above. Hill and Chavis are part of a cable team training to install Internet Protocol Radio satellites on top of towers to improve military communications in the Iraqi Theater of operations.

ASAN, Guam (Jan. 27, 2023) - Several U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships arrive to attend the Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz Reactivation & Naming Ceremony at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park Asan Beach Unit, Jan. 26.Military, local government leaders and community members attended the event, which celebrated the establishment of the first new Marine Corps Base in nearly 70 years.

961227-A-4291M-001. Subject Operation/Series: JOINT GUARD Base: Hilltop 722 Country: Bosnia And/I Herzegovina (BIH)

U.S. Soldiers, attached to 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, drag a sled of equipment during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, Feb, 15, 2024. The troops prepared for a one-kilometer movement along the woodline. JPMRC 24-02, executed in Alaska with its world-class training facilities and its harsh Arctic environment, builds Soldiers and leaders into a cohesive team of skilled, tough, alert, and adaptive warriors capable of fighting and winning anywhere in the world. Army

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from the 497th Engineering Company, based at Fort Eustis, VA, construct an extension to the international border fence separating the United States of America from the Republic of Mexico using an elevated causeway erected by Navy Seabees from Amphibious Construction Battalion One (ACB-1). This new fence, being constructed by Joint Task Force Six (JTF6), extends as much as 340 feet into the Pacific Ocean at low tide. Base: Border Field St Park San Diego State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge, France

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper participate in a wreath laying at the National War Memorial, in New Delhi, India, on October 27, 2020.

A simulated unexploded ordnance (UXO) is discovered in a bush during a base-wide training event at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Sept. 14, 2022. Simulated UXOs are used in training scenarios to train post-attack reconnaissance teams on proper procedures for removal and disposal of highly dangerous materials.

WW2 bunkers and surf, Cote des Basques, France

000916-N-0872M-502. Base: Norfolk State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Community members at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, take part in a holiday tree lighting ceremony Nov. 30, 2022 at the Gateway Club here. The ceremony featured a meet-and-greet with Santa Claus, sweet refreshments and live music.

Missing Man Formation, MIA Memorial at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii Air National Guard. Rear view of the memorial. Base: Hickam Air Force Base State: Hawaii (HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and soldiers with the 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, participate in the opening ceremony for Iron Fist 23 at Hijudai, Japan on Feb. 16, 2023. The ceremony was conducted to officialize 31st MEU Marines and 1ARDR soldiers working together during the first iteration of Iron Fist conducted in Japan. Iron Fist is an annual bilateral exercise designed to increase interoperability and strengthen the relationships between the U.S. Marines Corps, the U.S. Navy, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force , and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Sulkies Harness Racing, Utah Beach, Normandy, France.

U.S. Marines and Sailors with 2d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, ride in a Brazilian troop carrier boat prior to a land navigation course during a bilateral jungle training event in Manaus, Brazil, Sept. 26, 2022. These boats are used for insert, extract, and medical support along the many rivers and waterways of the jungle. U.S. partnerships in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibly are forged by shared challenges and common objectives. Bilateral training events such as jungle training develops and sustains relationships that improve the capacity of U.S. and partner nation maritime forces to achieve common desired effects. This exchange of knowledge between critical regional partners fosters interoperability, friendly relationships, and mutual cooperation.

WASHINGTON (October 21, 2022) - Navy chief petty officers vessels sit aboard the U.S. Navy Memorial during a chief petty officer pinning ceremony hosted by Naval District Washington. Twenty four Sailors from the National Capital Region were promoted to the rank of chief petty officer during the ceremony.

Airmen from the 8th Fighter Wing gather after the holiday tree lighting ceremony at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Dec. 1, 2022. Tree lighting ceremonies are an annual tradition on most military installations.

Nanorobot army, artwork

FRA - POLITICS - MOUNIR MAHJOUBI AND FLORENCE PARLY VISIT MANAGEMENT GENERAL ARMAMENT. On Monday, October 2nd, Mounir Mahjoubi, Secretary of State for Digital, and Florence Parly, Minister of Armed Forces, visit the Directorate General of Armaments - Information Management (DGA - MI) in Bruz.FRA - POLITIQUE - MOUNIR MAHJOUBI ET FLORENCE PARLY VISITENT LA DIRECTION GENERALE DE L'ARMEMENT. Le Lundi 2 Octobre, Mounir Mahjoubi, Secrétaire d'Etat chargé du Numérique, et Florence Parly, Ministre des Armées, visitent la Direction Générale de l'Armement - Maîtrise de lInformation ( DGA - MI ) à Bruz en Ille-et-vilaine.

000916-N-0872M-503. Base: Norfolk State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A ship captain smoking a pipe and looking into the distance while giving the thumbs up

France, Normandy, on 2020-10-11. Illustration of daily life in Normandy. La Pointe Du Hoc. Photograph by Martin Bertrand.France, Normandie, le 2020-10-11. Illustration de vie quotidienne en Normandie. La Pointe Du Hoc. Photographie de Martin Bertrand.

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (July 6, 2022) - A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon, lands at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

Fishermen shooting with blunderbusses at the Battle of Villajoyosa

Vietnam, DMZ Area. Quang Tri Province, Cam Lo, North Vietnamese Military cemetery

LOS ANGELES (May 30, 2022) Navy Band Southwest performs during a Memorial Day Parade at Disneyland during Los Angeles Fleet Week, May 30, 2022. Los Angeles Fleet Week is an opportunity for the American public to meet their Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard teams and experience America's sea services. During fleet week, service members participate in various community service events, showcase capabilities and equipment to the community, and enjoy the hospitality of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas.

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