← Military & Defence

Military Personnel in Conflict Zones

Scenes of soldiers navigating arid landscapes and preparing for missions in various conflict environments, illustrating military readiness.

Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Sweeney, the command sergeant major for 81st Brigade Combat Team, Washington Army National Guard, speaks to Soldiers from the 81st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 81st BCT, during training Feb. 6 at Contingency Operating Base Q-West, Iraq. About 2,400 Washington National Guardsmen and 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October. They are scheduled to return home this summer.
Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Sweeney, the command sergeant major for 81st Brigade Combat Team, Washington Army National Guard, speaks to Soldiers from the 81st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 81st BCT, during training Feb. 6 at Contingency Operating Base Q-West, Iraq. About 2,400 Washington National Guardsmen and 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October. They are scheduled to return home this summer.
362 assets in this story
U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, conduct Range 400, a company-level combined arms training event, during Marine Littoral Regiment Training Exercise (MLR-TE) at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Feb. 8, 2023. MLR-TE is a large-scale, service-level exercise designed to train, develop, and experiment with the 3d MLR as part of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force, led by 3d Marine Division, operating as a Stand-in Force across a contested and distributed maritime environment.Soldiers from the Royal British Armed Forces conduct terrain reconnaissance during Exercise Eager Lion in Jordan, Sept. 11, 2022. Eager Lion 22 is a multilateral exercise hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, designed to exchange military expertise, and improve interoperability among partner nations.030404-M-5753Q-014. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Numaniyah Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 7th Marines040805-F-1351B-001. Base: Sadr City State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: CENTCOM060123-A-6365W-168. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fob Loyalty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST040318-F-2902B-009. Base: Camp Babylon Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: N/ASoldiers from the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division ñ Baghdad, meet with Iraqi national police Capt. Rahan, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, Dec. 27, about a failed bomb maker who earlier in the day accidentally killed himself while mixing homemade explosives in a local neighborhood in the Doura community of the Rashid District. The "Panthers" of the 1st Bn., 505th PIR are tentatively scheduled to replace the 2nd Bn., 4th Inf. Regt., part of the 4th BCT, 10th Mountain Div., out of Fort Polk, La., which is scheduled to redeploy in early January upon completing its 14-month mission.US Marine Corps (USMC) Lance Corporal (LCPL) Kenneth R. Fouse (foreground), from Company "C", 1ST Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, provides security during a search and clear operation conducted within the inner city of Fallujah, Iraq. USMC Marines assigned to the 2nd Marine Division are conducting counter-insurgency operations with Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) to isolate and neutralize Anti-Iraqi Forces, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)051007-A-0527A-001. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Kandahar Army Air Field Country: Afghanistan (AFG)041207-M-2583M-018. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)060115-A-4545F-110. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Bayji State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ)060110-M-7404B-093. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Anah State: Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)CAMP TITIN, Jordan - Marines from the United States, Jordan and Saudi Arabia receive a safety brief before conducting a ballistic breaching range, during Exercise Eager Lion 22 on Camp Titin, Jordan, September 6, 2022. Eager Lion 22 is a multilateral exercise hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, designed to exchange military expertise, and improve interoperability among partner nations, and considered the capstone of a broader U.S. military relationship with the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). Jordan is one of U.S. Central Commands (USCENTCOM) strongest and most reliable partners in the Levant sub-region.U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the East Africa Response Force (EARF) in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), participate in close quarters battle (CQB) training with members of the Spanish Special Operations Forces, Djibouti, June 16, 2022. The EARF serves as part of U.S. Africa Commands crisis response capability, and is tasked with responding to emergency situations at U.S. Embassies in the East African region or in countries around the CJTF-HOA area of interest.060119-A-1211S-012. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Loyalty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)Sgt. Julie Nicholson, Female Engagement Team leader, Marine Headquarters Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, shakes hands with an Afghan child during a mission in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. NicholsonÄôs team conducts searches of Afghan women and children and gains information from the women who are not permitted to interact with men outside of their families.060208-A-1211S-003. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Loyalty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: A040606-M-5555L-028. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Hurricane Point State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)050615-A-9889G-060. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fob Danger, Tikrit State: Salah Al Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 42ND INFRNTRY DIVISON031231-F-1798W-007. Base: Kirkuk Country: Iraq (IRQ)enw# 130p sb enw20baqouba1By Drew Brown/StripesStaff Sgt. Brian Piehler, 25, of Spanaway, Wash., and Pfc. Westin Floeter, 20, of Spokane, Wash., move cautiously from their Stryker vehicles into the streets of Baqouba at dawn Tuesday, as U.S. forces launched a massive offensive to clear the town of insurgents. Both soldiers are with 3rd Platoon, 3rd Squad, Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Jordan, a structural craftsman with the 378th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, spots for his colleagues moving a tent at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oct. 11, 2022. The 378th ECESs mission is to provide the facilities and infrastructure required to make PSAB a ready, robust, and resilient warfighting platform in AFCENTs area of responsibility.060427-A-6365W-066. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Forward Operating Base Remagen State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST030129-M-5972A-001. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Al Jaber Air Base Country: Kuwait (KWT)041210-M-3658J-021. Base: Camp Taqaddum State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 1FSSGIdaho Army National Guard soldiers from Charlie Company, 2-116th Combined Arms Battalion train with the AT4 anti-tank weapon in the field during annual training. This years exercises are taking place before the 2-116th CAB deploys in support of Operation Spartan Shield.U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) commanding general, participates in a Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise (CALFEX) with U.S. Army and French Forces in Djibouti service members near Arta, Djibouti, Aug. 22, 2022. The exercise focused on integration with partner forces, utilizing reconnaissance and surveillance, actions on the objective, sustainment, and medical support with the goal of improving U.S. and French interoperability. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Destani Matheny)Soldiers from Alpha Battery 2-12 Field Artillery Security Force and Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah clear their weapons in clearing barrels following a key leader engagement with the Farah director of education at Aboonaser Farahi High School. PRT Farah's Mission is to train, advise and assist Afghan government leaders at the municipal, district and provincial levels in Farah province, Afghanistan.070206-A-4520N-309. State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)060326-A-7969G-001. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Siniyah State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST AB DIVISIONU.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Trent Pedersen, munitions crew chief, assigned to the 386 Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron Munitions Flight, hooks a countermeasure munitions trailer to the back of a truck at Ali Al Salem Air Force Base, Kuwait, Jan. 26, 2022. The Airmen of the 386 EMXS/MXMW perform semi-annual 100% stockpile inventory to account for assets worth an estimated $109 million to ensure the correct munitions and serviceability for all aircraft and personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Daira Jackson)Joint Readiness Training Center at Ft. PolkUS Navy (USN) Corpsmen and US Marines Corps (USMC) Marines assigned to the 1ST and 2nd Medical Battalions, 1ST and 2nd Force Services Support Groups (FSSG), work together to roll a Chemical Biological Protective Shelter (CBPS) before storing it onto its transport vehicle at Camp Coyote, Kuwait, during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Pictured left-to-right are US Navy (USN) Hospital Corpsman First Class (HM1) Tom White, USN Hospital Corpsman Second Class (HM2) Thomas Miller, and US Marine Corps (USMC) Private First Class (PFC) Travis Cosme, a Motor Transportation Operator. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT)020822-A-6414T-013. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Khowst Country: Afghanistan (AFG)031213M-6237R-014. Base: Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)030408-F-2034C-030. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Unknown030224-M-8539K-001. Base: Camp Matilda Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 1ST Marine Division060225-A-7969G-030. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fob Summerall State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: C1-187041209-M-0036Y-014. Base: Ar Ramadi State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)Lance Cpl. Cletus L. Eicher, a mortarman with Combined Action Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and Din Mohamad, an Afghan National Army soldier, swab a mortar tube at Range Juarez, Afghanistan during a mission rehearsal Aug. 28, 2010.US Marines from Lima Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) begin to shed equipment after returning from a patrol near the Khandahar International Airport, Khandahar, Afghanistan during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Kandahar International Airport Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: 26th MEU (SOC)040329-M-8530M-018. Base: Camp Al Qaim State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)A U.S. Marine Jumping a Puddle at a Small, Remote, Austere U.S. Marine Combat Outpost in Afghanistan's Helmand Province041122-M-2583M-007. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)060323-A-7969G-001. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Azuwiyah State: Salah Ah Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST AB DIVISION040610-M-7514K-036. Base: Ar Ar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: Navy Sea BeesGowen Field hosts several 19-Delta Advanced Leadership Courses throughout the year at the 1-204th Regional Training Institute schoolhouse on base. Due to COVID-19 this hasnt been a typical year, making this the first course offered this year. Students came from all over the nation to fulfill this leadership requirement and graduated here on Aug. 8, 2020. Here, the students ended the course with a leadership scenario in which they called upon the Idaho Army National Guard's UH-60 Black Hawks for airlift medical assistance during their field exercise of zone area reconnaissance.060502-A-1526R-025. Base: San Salvador Country: El Salvador (SLV)Soldiers of Bronco Troop, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, level the ground during strongpoint construction, Zharay district, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2012. Bronco Troop is helping build the strongpoint to support security in the district.U.S. Marines with 3d Marine Division board a KC-130J Super Hercules during an Alert Contingency Marine Air-Ground Task Force drill on Okinawa, Japan, initiating the deployment of the divisions Forward Command Element participating in KAMANDAG 6 in the Philippines, Sept. 27, 2022. KAMANDAG is an annual bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences.070205-A-1985S-037. Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: EUROPE041109-M-2789C-101. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)030220-M-5753Q-010. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Ripper Country: Kuwait (KWT)050718-A-9039F-093. Subject Operation/Series: SWARMER Base: Samarra State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION (AA)070319-M-7772K-010. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Asad State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 2D BRIGADE, 7TH IRAQI ARMY DIVIS051016-A-9297R-030. Base: Bagram State: Parwan Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: NORTHEASTCpl. Zachery K. Arrowood with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, provides security during a patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 12, 2013. The patrol was conducted to disrupt enemy activity in the area.060405-N-4097B-007. Base: Fort Jackson State: South Carolina (SC) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: Task Force Marshall041122-M-0173F-015. Base: Camp Blue Diamond State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)070327-M-9876R-008. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Asad State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: RCT-2060414-A-5745M-037. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Liberty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 10TH MTNU.S. Army Soldiers and U.S. Marines attached to 3-1-1 Military Transition Team, 3rd Infantry Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force search a house while on a dismounted foot patrol during an operation in Tharthar, Iraq, Oct. 7, 2007.030214-M-4419R-004. Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 5th MarinesCombined British forces and US Marine Corps (USMC) Marines watch a sand table brief from Military Operations (S-3) Regimental Combat Team 5th Marines (RCT-5), 1ST Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California (CA). The sand table is a three-dimensional model of the terrain the British forces and US Marines will operate in as they prepare to carry out a battle plan for a possible war with Iraq during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. (Substandard image). Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Living Support Area 5 Country: Kuwait (KWT)030629-F-5586B-004. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baghdad International Airport Country: Iraq (IRQ)030201-M-5753Q-031. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 7th Marines040602-M-8096M-001. Base: Zabol Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: 22ND MEU (SOC)During the change of command ceremony, Command of Task Force Eagle was transfered from the Commander First Armored Division to the Commander First Infantry Division (Mechanized), US Army General William W. Crouch, Commander-in-CHIEF United States Army Europe, Seventh Army and Commander NATO Implementation Force (IFOR) presents the first NATO medals for IFOR participation in Bosnia to the USA soldiers who took part in Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR, Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 10 November 1996. Subject Operation/Series: JOINT ENDEAVOR Base: Eagle Base State: Tuzla Country: Bosnia And/I Herzegovina (BIH)060322-F-7823A-062. Base: Tall Afar Country: Iraq (IRQ)051010-A-1327A-005. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Bagram State: Parwan Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: NORTHEAST041210-M-3658J-026. Base: Camp Taqaddum State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 1FSSG040415-F-2902B-002. Base: Sadr City State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)Office of the Secretary - SECRETARY DONALD EVANS AFGHANISTAN TRIPSoldiers from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., prep their Stryker fighting vehicles and equipment for training June 5 at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, Calif. 4th Brigade recently travelled from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., to NTC to spend the month of June preparing for its first Afghanistan deployment this fall.030911-F-2185G-004. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Tallil Air Base State: Dhi Qar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: USAFEU.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Matthew Rowley, 13th Air Support Operations Squadron, tells a Royal Jordanian Land Force soldier where to move their vehicles to be used as a simulated enemy convoy as part of the Falcon Air Meet 2010 near Azraq, Jordan, Oct. 25, 2010. The purpose of The Falcon Air Meet is to improve international military relations and joint air operations.060410-A-0575B-006. Subject Operation/Series: EDURING FREEDOM Base: Pech Valley Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: CJTF-761st Lt. Josh Faucett, a joint terminal attack controller with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, runs to another position to better control air support during a six-hour firefight with Taliban insurgents here Aug. 13. Faucett is from Elwood, Ind.ZARQA, Jordan - Royal Jordanian Armed Forces operator collects his parachute after a successful combined jump exercise with US Special Forces in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.030308-M-5753Q-011. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Ripper Country: Kuwait (KWT)Pfc. Joe Piotrowski, with the 6th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team, 4th Infantry Division, dons his Improved Outer Tactical Vest on March 14 before a mission in Baghdad. He said the new vest is more comfortable than the Interceptor Body Armor and has a better carrying system for his equipment.A military vehicle speeds past Col. Ronald Kapral, the 81st Brigade Combat Team commander, Lt. Col. Kenneth Garrison, the commander of the 81st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 81st BCT, Lt. Col. Alan Dorow, the commander of the 181st Brigade Support Battalion, 81st BCT, and Capt. Forrest Horan, the commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 81st BSTB, 81st BCT, during training Feb. 6, 2009 at Contingency Operating Base Q-West, Iraq. About 2,400 Washington National Guardsmen and 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October. They are scheduled to return home this summer.Sgt. 1st Class Ernest Oberst, Gladstone, Mich., native, teaches Iraqi children how to make the peace sign during Operation Hammer Bonzai XI in the Taji Qada, northwest of Baghdad. Oberst serves as an infantry platoon sergeant in Company B, 52nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment Wolfhounds,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad.A U.S. Air Force Airfield Damage Assessment team assigned to the 378th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, annotates hazards and damage on a map of a training runway during Rapid Airfield Damage Recovery training at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, June 24, 2022. The training was held to prepare and test current personnel in their ability to get the airfield back up and running with available resources after an attack.060326-A-7969G-003. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Siniyah State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST AB DIVISIONExplosives Ordnance Demolition (EOD) technician STAFF Sergeant (SSGT) Chris Pearce from the 366th Civil Engineering Squadron (CES), removes an empty ammunition magazine from a Barrett.50 caliber rifle for visiting actor Christopher Judge, during a morale and welfare visit in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Unknown050902-A-0527A-005. Base: Kandahar Army Air Field Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: NortheastU.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Brianna Eisenhower, a combat marksmanship trainer assigned to Weapons and Field Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, demonstrates a drill during an all-female marksmanship subject matter expert exchange between U.S. Marines and Jordanian Soldiers in Zarqa, Jordan, Feb. 20, 2024. U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command and the Jordanian Armed Forces developed the exchange to highlight the similarities in marksmanship training and the impacts that inclusivity has within our militaries. Marine Corps030409-M-5753Q-021. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 7th Marines051011-A-2611R-093. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Mosul Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 11TH ACRU.S. Air Force Capt. Kristy Leachman, third from left, 821st Contingency Response Squadron wing deputy director of staff, greets Lt. Gen. Warren Berry, right, Headquarters U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, during a base visit at Travis Air Force Base, California, May 31, 2022. Leachman discussed experiences from their recent deployment with Air Force Headquarter leadership.040808-A-0259W-052. Base: Jikdalek Country: Afghanistan (AFG)U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Edward Roller, a fires advisor with the Fort Benning-based 1st battalion, 54th Security Forces Assistance Brigade advises multinational forces while calling in an aviation strike in the course of conducting a raid at the Vaziani Training Area, Georgia. Noble Partner is a cooperatively-led multinational training exercise in its sixth iteration between the Georgian Defense Forces (GDF) and U.S. Army Europe and Africa.Members of the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron look for eggs during a base beautification event at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, April 8, 2023. The 386th ESFS invited members of AASAB to join in clearing debris from the base to make it nicer for everyone.U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the East Africa Response Force (EARF) in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), participate in close quarters battle (CQB) training with members of the Spanish Special Operations Forces, Djibouti, June 16, 2022. The EARF serves as part of U.S. Africa Commands crisis response capability, and is tasked with responding to emergency situations at U.S. Embassies in the East African region or in countries around the CJTF-HOA area of interest.U.S. Army Soldiers with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, evacuate a simulated casualty during Decisive Action Rotation 16-07 at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., June 12, 2016.050902-A-0527A-004. Base: Kandahar Army Air Field Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: Northeast041210-M-9529D-014. Base: Al Asad State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)