Military Training and Team Exercises

Scenes of military personnel participating in training exercises focused on combat readiness and teamwork, featuring grappling and tactical skills.

U.S. Army Pfc. Davon Lee, a Soldier from the 41st Route Clearance Company, poses as an injured Soldier in a simulated first aid scenario as part of a convoy training event during the 2022 Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Aug. 15, 2022. CSTX 22-02 provides rotational training units an opportunity to enhance collective MOS-specific training proficiency and improve readiness while providing a variety of live and virtual integrated training environments to replicate a near-peer threat during large scale combat operations within multi-domain operations. Training units operate in an austere environment developing and executing skills in night operations, cyber operations, and emergent threat environments to increase survivability and protection skills and the essentials of field-craft.

U.S. Marines with Provost Marshals Office, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, members with 51st Infantry Regiment, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, and U.S. Air Force airmen with 18th Security Forces Squadron, 18th Mission Support Group, 18th Wing, practice apprehension and search procedures during Exercise Keen Sword 2023 on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 11, 2022. Keen Sword exercises the combined command and control capabilities and lethality developed between MCIPAC, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and the Japan Self-Defense Force. This bilateral field-training demonstrates the U.S. military and JSDF interoperability and combat readiness of the U.S.-Japan Alliance.

U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, grapple on Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan, April. 14, 2022. Marines hiked and competed in Marine Corps Martial Arts Program competitions between companies to increase morale and esprit de corps. 3rd MLG, based out of Okinawa, Japan, is a forward deployed combat unit that serves as III Marine Expeditionary Forces comprehensive logistics and combat service support backbone for operations throughout the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility.

Poolees participate in an incentive training competition at Brewer Middle School in Fort Worth, Texas, May 21, 2022. The annual pool function brings poolees together to experience aspects of recruit training.

Students attending the Tactical Combat Casualty Care All Service Members course participate in a simulated combat-related incident at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 27, 2022. Students are taught, and then must demonstrate, various life-saving techniques such as applying hemostatic dressing, pressure bandages and tourniquets.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Keegan Bailey and Lance Cpl. Rodrigo Alas grapple during a Security Battalion field meet on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Sept. 16, 2022. Field meets are held to test Marines on their physical fitness while also bringing the battalion closer together and boosting unit camaraderie. The meet included an ammo can relay race, tire flip challenge, and grappling. Motor Transport Services finished in first place, followed by Marine Corps Base Quantico Food Services, and Installation Personnel Administration Center team two.

U.S. Soldiers competing in the Army Best Squad Competition take a physical fitness assessment on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Sept. 29, 2022. The Army Best Squad Competition tests Soldiers on their individual and collective ability to adapt to and overcome challenging scenarios and battle-readiness events that test their physical and mental endurance, technical and tactical abilities, and basic warrior skills under stress and extreme fatigue.

U.S. Army Pfc. Davon Lee, a Soldier from the 41st Route Clearance Company, poses as an injured Soldier in a simulated first aid scenario as part of a convoy training event during the 2022 Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Aug. 15, 2022. CSTX 22-02 provides rotational training units an opportunity to enhance collective MOS-specific training proficiency and improve readiness while providing a variety of live and virtual integrated training environments to replicate a near-peer threat during large scale combat operations within multi-domain operations. Training units operate in an austere environment developing and executing skills in night operations, cyber operations, and emergent threat environments to increase survivability and protection skills and the essentials of field-craft.

Paratroopers across the 82nd Airborne Division finish the 12 mile road march, complete a weapons test, and recieve their E3B on Fort Bragg, NC, April 7, 2023. 371 Paratroopers and Soldiers across multiple units and locations successfully completed E3B.

U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), grapple during a safety brief on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, May 27, 2022. 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.

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, execute a left break fall during Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Oct. 3, 2022. MCMAP is an integrated, weapons-based system that incorporates the full spectrum of the force continuum on the battlefield, and contributes to the mental, character and physical development of Marines.

U.S. Marines grapple during a Security Battalion field meet on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, September 16, 2022. Field meets are held to test Marines on their physical fitness while also bringing the battalion closer together and boosting unit camaraderie. The meet included an ammo can relay race, tire flip challenge, and grappling. First place was Motor Transport Services, second place was Marine Corps Base Quantico Food Services, and third place was Installation Personnel Administration Center team two.

U.S. Marines with Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico and Chemical Biological Incident Response Force from Indian Head, Maryland participate in the Firemans Carry Race for the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter Rodeo at MCAF on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Sep. 2, 2022. The ARFF Rodeo is a competition for Marines to showcase their operational knowledge of firefighting tactics, techniques, and procedures.

Pvt. Logan Gabriel, human resources specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, attempts an obstacle during physical training July 21 at Fort Carson, Colo. Soldiers of the Mountain Warrior Brigade maintain physical readiness by conducting physical training every day.

U.S. Marines with Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT), Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM), Marine Forces Northern Command (MARFOR NORTHCOM), and their respective Headquarters and Service Battalion (HQSVCBN), Marine Corps Security Force Regiment, Center for Naval Air Technical Training Unit Oceana, Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads Northwest Annex, Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck, Marine Corps Intelligence School Dam Neck, participate in a regional field meet at Captain Slade Cutter Park, Virginia, August 5, 2022. Marines across various units competed head-to-head in pugil sticks, ground fighting, PVC pipe construction, flag football, resupply runs, rowing, kickball, and tug-o-war in order to win the command trophy. FMFLANT, MARFORCOM, MARFOR NORTHCOM holds field meets regularly to sustain camaraderie and healthy work relations.

Soldiers assigned to 2nd Brigade, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Infantry Division conduct a surfboard competition to start off their readiness day at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, March 3, 2021. The surfboard competition consisted of 14 rigorous events intended to test the physical and mental strength of each participating soldier.

U.S. Army Paratroopers participate in Initial Manifest Call (IMC) to prepare for an airborne jump from UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at Fort Bragg, N.C. on Apr. 27, 2022. The purpose of IMC is to gather a manifest of people who will be participating in an airborne jump.

U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Nathaniel Byington with Mike Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, carries a log during log drills at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, June 27, 2022. Recruits carried a 250 pound log, executing various exercises to strengthen their bodies, minds, and teamwork.

Various University and Colleges ROTC Units were here at Fort Dix, New Jersey competing in the 2022 ROTC Ranger Challenge. There were various competitions and challenges to compete in during the 3-day event held in various locations on Fort Dix. (Images are provided by the Fort Dix (TSC) Training Support Center / Daniel Amburg)

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, motivate each other while a teammate holds the plank position during the Army Combat Fitness Test portion of 3rd ID's Best Squad Competition at Fort Stewart, Georgia, May 25, 2022. Competition events, like the Best Squad Competition, are a test of grit and toughness, foster readiness and esprit de corps, and are a fundamental part of the Division's method of building lethal, cohesive teams and expert leaders.

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, navigate an obstacle during the obstacle course at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Sept. 29, 2022. The "O-Course" is comprised of various obstacles and is designed to instill confidence in recruits by overcoming physical challenges.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Detrique Mines grapples during a Security Battalion field meet on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, September 16, 2022. Field meets are held to test Marines on their physical fitness while also bringing the battalion closer together and boosting unit camaraderie. The meet included an ammo can relay race, tire flip challenge, and grappling. First place was Motor Transport Services, second place was Marine Corps Base Quantico Food Services, and third place was Installation Personnel Administration Center team two.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Detrique Mines grapples during a Security Battalion field meet on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, September 16, 2022. Field meets are held to test Marines on their physical fitness while also bringing the battalion closer together and boosting unit camaraderie. The meet included an ammo can relay race, tire flip challenge, and grappling. First place was Motor Transport Services, second place was Marine Corps Base Quantico Food Services, and third place was Installation Personnel Administration Center team two.

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Christiano Cachola, a small arms weapons instructor with the Marine Corps Shooting Team, and Sgt. Toby Schindler, a basic security guard with Marine Corps Security Forces Training Company, sprint to the next obstacle during the Marine Corps Championships on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, March 31, 2023. Marines who place in the top 10-percent at their respective Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition receive an invitation to participate in the Marine Corps Championships that consists of 10 days of competition in precision rifle, action rifle, precision pistol, action pistol, and multi gun action shooting.

Competitors in the Army Warfighter Challenge hurdle over a series of logs at the obstacle course during day two of the challenge. The 14th Annual Warfighter Challenge at Ft. Leonard Wood Missouri brings military police units throughout the Army together to determine who is the best in the MP field.

U.S. Marines with Headquarters and Service Battalion, participate in a running event during the Atlas Games at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Sept. 22, 2022. The Atlas Games is a battalion field meet that incorporates the full spectrum of leadership skills and teamwork to enhance individual readiness and unit cohesion.

Spc. Shiloh Becher, U.S. Army Reserve Command, top, gets position on Spc. James Holmes, U.S. Army Forces-Korea, during the Army Combatives Tournament at the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Va. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. (Timothy L. Hale/Army Reserve Public Affairs)

Sgt. Benjamin Miller competed in the U.S. Army Sustainment Command Best Warrior Competition in Marseilles, Illinois, May 16-20, and is now the 2022 ASC Best Warrior! He will go on and represent ASC at this years U.S. Army Materiel Command Best Warrior Competition.

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron perform burpees with ammunition cans over their heads as part of a Battle of the Badges competition at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, May 18, 2022. Battle of the Badges is an annual competition held during Police Week where first responders go head-to-head in a number of exercises, showcasing the strength, knowledge, and teamwork it takes to get the mission accomplished.

U.S. Marines with Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT), Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM), Marine Forces Northern Command (MARFOR NORTHCOM), and their respective Headquarters and Service Battalion (HQSVCBN), compete in musical chairs during a field meet at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Virginia, Sept. 22, 2022. Marines with FMFLANT, MARFORCOM, MARFOR NORTHCOM, and their respective HQSVCBN, competed in a dessert bake off, polyvinyl chloride pipe construction contest, musical chairs, football throwing competition and tug-of-war in order to win the unit trophy. FMFLANT, MARFORCOM, MARFOR NORTHCOM, and their respective HQSVCBN, hold quarterly field meets to sustain camaraderie and boost morale within the unit through friendly competitions.

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, low crawl during the combat conditioning course (CCX) at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Oct. 12, 2022. The CCX was designed to increase recruits stamina and ability to perform Marine Corps Martial Arts Program techniques.

U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Colby Crevelt with Mike Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, carries a log during log drills at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, June 27, 2022. Recruits carried a 250 pound log, executing various exercises to strengthen their bodies, minds, and teamwork.

Recruits with Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, execute tan belt techniques as part of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Feb. 21, 2024. During recruit training, recruits are taught and must master basic assault and defense techniques to earn their tan belt through MCMAP. Marine Corps

060403-A-2403G-011. Base: Budingen Country: Deutschland / Germany (DEU)

U.S. Marines with Headquarters Service Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Support Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force, compete during a field meet on Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, July 28, 2022. The Marines competed in various activities such as pull-ups, sprints, and fireman carries to boost camaraderie and morale in the unit.

Special Warfare candidates carry and throw weights in a relay race as part of Prolonged Resiliency Training (PRT) on January 26, 2023, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. PRT simulated the stressful and long hours of an operator in the field, testing candidates' endurance and ability to work as a team while, simultaneously, preparing them for the rigors of the training pipeline ahead.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Alexis Flippo, an imagery analysis specialist, buddy squats U.S. Marines Corps Cpl. Grace Guadagnolo, a meteorology and oceanography analyst forecaster, both with 1st Intelligence Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, during a martial arts instructor course physical training session at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Dec. 6, 2022. MAI courses certify Marines to instruct and monitor Marine Corps Martial Arts Program training and advance Marines in the program, distinguishing their levels of experience with different colored belts.

Airmen and Soldiers from the 157th Medical Group and the New Hampshire Army National Guard Medical Detachment, practice four-person lifts during an innovative readiness training in Tahlequah, Okla. June 13, 2022. More than 60 Airmen, Sailors and Soldiers were trained and certified in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) over the two-week period.

U.S. Marines with Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT), Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM), Marine Forces Northern Command (MARFOR NORTHCOM), compete in tug-of-war while attending a command field meet, Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia, June 10, 2022. Water balloon catapult, grappling and tug-of-war were played for score with the winning team awarded a trophy. FMFLANT, MARFORCOM, MARFOR NORTHCOM holds regular field meets to sustain camaraderie and healthy work relations.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Matheus Stitt, left, supervises the assembly of cots at the AS-4400 shelter during the annual Exercise Carolina Breeze on Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina, June 15, 2022. MCAS New River holds the annual destructive weather exercise to test the air stations emergency response capabilities and simulate the event of a weather emergency in order to promote flexibility and readiness.

U.S. Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor (MAI) Course students execute the obstacle course at Ellis Field, Courthouse Bay on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, April 7, 2022. The three-week course develops Marines as MAIs to teach and instruct the fundamentals of hand-to-hand combat to other Marines stationed on MCB Camp Lejeune.

U.S. Air National Guard Airman Camden Strapp, member of the 178th Wing Security Forces Squadron, participates in OC spray training, May 15, 2022, in Springfield, Ohio. All security forces airmen are required to carry OC spray during duty hours to ensure their personal safety and the safety of their fellow members.

U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen grapple a U.S. Marine during Professional Training of Midshipmen (PROTRAMID) at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, July 20, 2022. PROTRAMID is an eight-week program during the summer months that provides in-depth training to midshipmen in the various communities within the Navy and Marine Corps.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to units from 7th Army Training Command (7ATC) and V Corps try to hit some targets at the mystery PT event during the 7ATC/V Corps-level Best Squad Competition at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, July 14, 2022. Teams from across U.S. Army Europe and Africa test their tactical proficiency, communication, and overall cohesion as they compete for the title of Best Squad. Winning U.S. Army squads will meet at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, to compete for the title of U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) Best Squad from August 8-12.

Troopers from all across the 1st Cavalry Division competed in a tug of war competition in honor of the division's 101 birthday Sep. 12 at Fort Hood, Texas. Troopers competed in a wide variety of sports including soccer, basketball, football, softball and more.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. John Partridge, Corporals Course instructor, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, and Sgt. Michael Walker Jr., Corporals Course instructor, grapple during a culminating event at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, Feb. 2, 2024. 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. The culminating event consisted of land navigation, an improvised explosive device lane, tug-of-war, grappling and completing the obstacle course with gear. Marine Corps

Sergeat 1st Class Jason Pate, 68W Combat Medic, 232nd Medical Battalion, negotiates obstacles to test his physical capabilities during the Best Medic Competition, Sep. 29, 2022 at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis, Tx. The 72-hour competition included a physical fitness test, obstacle course, combat water survival test, day and night land navigation, combat trauma lanes, a M4 rifle and 9mm pistol stress shoot and a 5K buddy run. Day three concluded with a 12-mile foot march and awards ceremony.

A group of U.S. Army Paratroopers help one another rig up into their T-11 parachute during Exrcise Falcon Leap on Eindhoven Air Base, Eindhoven, Netherlands., Sep. 13, 2022. More than 1000 Paratroopers from all over the world, 13 different nationalities, multiple airdrops per day, and training with each other equipment for two weeks. this is NATO's largest technical airborne exercise

040530-C-1034C-038. Base: Fs De Grasse (D 612)

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, execute a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program technique during the combat conditioning course at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, July 6, 2022. Combat conditioning combined the physical demands of martial arts training with those of traditional physical fitness.

First Battalion recruits practice hand-to-hand combat techniques. Base: Usmc Recruit Depot,Parris Island State: South Carolina (SC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jessie H. Sanchez with the 4th Brigade Combat Team Currahee”, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), observes a Soldier doing pushups, during an Army Physical Fitness Test for Currahees competing in Soldier/Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter as well as the Sgt. Audie Murphy board at forward operating base Salerno, Afghanistan, July 14, 2013.

Airmen assigned to the 183rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron participate in a mass-casualty training exercise at MacDill Air Force Base, June 19. The Airmen completed their annual training, where they honed their skills in patient care.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Holden Mesimer, left, a Marine Air-Ground Task Force planning specialist with Plans, Policy and Operations South, and Sgt. Ncholas Mazzzuchella, right, a distribution management specialist with Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, Marine Forces Command, Marine Forces Northern Command, grapple during a field meet at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Virginia, March 16, 2023. Marines with FMFLANT, MARFORCOM, MARFOR NORTHCOM, and their respective Headquarters and Service Battalion, competed in physical fitness relays, ground fighting, and tug-o-war in order to win a day of liberty. The unit holds quarterly field meets to increase command networking and boost morale.

308th Rescue Squadron Airmen participate in a tribute workout and teambuilding event at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, Sept. 11, 2022. Embracing the Multi-Capable Airmen concept, support Airmen worked in teams alongside pararescuemen to perform operations and physical fitness together to learn tasks outside of their primary specialty in order to reduce the overall personnel footprint in a deployed environment.

Maj. Nina Brown, 436th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron clinical nurse, inserts a nasopharyngeal airway into a simulated trauma patient during Exercise Ready Eagle on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, May 17, 2022. The exercise promoted medical response capabilities by providing hands-on training, instruction and a final cumulative exercise.

Two U.S. Soldiers, assigned to Task Force Hurricane, fight to take each other down as a one-week combative level 1 qualification course at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is instructed in the background, June 23, 2022. The 40 hr. course allows graduates to teach others the 14 basic combative moves and two takedowns covered in level 1, only level 2 combative graduates or higher can qualify students. Two U.S. Air Force Defenders assigned to the 378th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron participated in the course.

U.S. Army Spc. Joseph Hunter Tarte, a U.S. Central Command customs agent with 133rd Military Police Company, inspects a Marine with Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, before the retrograde portion of exercise Native Fury 22 at Yanbu Commercial Port, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sept. 2, 2022. Native Fury 22 is a biennial exercise focused on the demonstration of the rapid offload and integration of a Maritime Pre-Positioned Force in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of regional security, crisis response, and contingency operations.

A team of Soldiers participate in the Army Combat Fitness Test as a part of the Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark Jr. U.S. Army Best Medic Competition which started Jan. 24, 2022, Fort Hood, Texas. Competitors must be agile, adaptive leaders who demonstrate mature judgment while testing collective team skills in areas of physical fitness, tactical marksmanship, leadership, warrior skills, land navigation and overall knowledge of medical, technical and tactical proficiencies through a series of hands-on tasks in a simulated operational environment. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Dylan Bailey)

Recruits with Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, conduct the Combat Fitness Test on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Feb. 10, 2024. The CFT is an annual fitness test that measures a Marine's combat readiness. Marine Corps

U.S. soldiers from Headquarters Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment , 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, take off for the one-mile steeple chase while competing in the Borzoi Squad Competition at Joint Security Station Sheik Amir, northwest of Baghdad, in celebration of Independence Day July 4, 2008.

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darrin McDowell, finance auditor for the finance office, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, participates in a competition during the HQBN Warrior Night, Landing Zone Boondockers, MCBH, May 25, 2022. The HQBN Warrior Night event included various team-building activities, and aimed to foster unit cohesion and esprit de corps.

U.S. Marines with Headquarters Battalion, Marine Force Reserve, take part in a pugil stick competition at Marine Corps Support Facility New Orleans, Oct. 26, 2022. The annual pugil stick "King of the Ring" competition is held to foster the spirit of competition and camaraderie within the unit through friendly competition.

U.S. Marines with I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, perform dive bomber push-ups during a martial arts instructor course physical training session at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Dec. 9, 2022. MAI courses certify Marines to instruct and monitor Marine Corps Martial Arts Program training and advance Marines in the program, distinguishing their levels of experience with different colored belts.

U.S. Army Capt. Mark Dutton, a physician assistant and Spc. Katrina Taylor supply specialist, both with 351st Area Support Battalion, S.C. Army National Guard, carry a simulated victim on a stretcher for immediate medical attention at Ardent Sentry Exercise, Ridgeland, S.C., May 19, 2013. The S.C. National Guard is participating in a major NORAD and USNORTHCOM sponsored training exercise called Ardent Sentry, May 17-21, 2013. It involves a scenario of a hurricane striking the South Carolina coast requiring more than 1,500 members of the S.C. National Guard to practice disaster response activities and coordination procedures.

Cadets Nichalas Haynes (left) and Alan Rasmussen (right), both assigned to the UCCS Army ROTC Program, perform a sledgehammer and tire drill as part of a functional physical training session on April 21, 2022. The training session included water jug carries, fireman carry, box jump, deadlight, landmine press, spiderman push-ups and more.

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, participate in a body sparring event on Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Feb. 16, 2023. Body sparring is designed to simulate hand to hand combat and provide practical application of Marine Corps Martial Arts techniques.

U.S. Army Soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., practice parachute landing falls during this year's Operation Toy Drop, Dec. 4, 2009. Operation Toy Drop is an annual Airborne jump held at Fort Bragg, N.C., and is hosted by the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), and supported by Fort Bragg's XVIII Airborne Corps and Pope Air Force Base's 43rd Airlift Wing. Over 3,000 Soldiers are expected to donate a toy for a lottery ticket and the chance to jump under an international jumpmaster in order to earn foreign jump wings. The operation gives Soldiers and Airmen the opportunity to help local families in need over the holidays while boosting morale and incorporating valuable training. Since its inception, Operation Toy Drop has collected and distributed more than 30,000 toys for families of Soldiers as well as orphanages in the local community.

The Air Force District of Washington team races against the team from Hurlburt Field, Fla. during the Commando Challenge at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 18, 2022. The Medic Rodeo, hosted by the 27th Special Operations Wing, creates a ready medical force by testing the knowledge and skills of medics across the Air Force.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division compete in an Army Combat Fitness Test as the first event of the brigades Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter Board on Fort Stewart, Georgia, Feb. 10, 2023. The winners of the quarter board may advance to represent the brigade in the 3rd Infantry Division's annual Soldier and NCO of the Year Board. Competition events are a test of grit and toughness, foster readiness and esprit de corps, and are a fundamental part of the unit's method of building lethal, cohesive teams and expert leaders.

Master Sgt. Todd Boren and Staff Sgt. Gregory Carter, 5th Security Forces Squadron ranger assessment course cadre members, push Staff Sgt. Miguel Garcia, a 5th SFS member, into the pool for a water confidence exercise during pre-ranger training at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., July 15, 2015. To pass the course, Airmen like Garcia are required to complete a Ranger Physical Assessment, combat water survival assessment, 12-mile foot march, and day and night combined land navigation.

Recruits with Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, complete the Day Movement Course during Basic Warrior Training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Mar. 29, 2023. Basic Warrior Training is a one week-long training event that teaches recruits the basics of combat survival and rifle maneuvers.

U.S. Air Force Airman Kailynn Goodyear, a personnel specialist assigned to the 178th Wing Force Support Squadron, secures tent stakes June 7, 2022 for a field exercise exercise during Agile Rage 22 at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan. Northern Michigan's National All-Domain Warfighting Center is a premier training location for Agile Combat Employment, because of its unique training airspace and facilities, encompassing more than 148,000 acres of ground maneuver training area and more than 17,000 square miles of special use airspace; one of the largest areas of its kind in the U.S.

U.S. Marine Corps recruit Chris Flenniken with Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, pushing through the pain during log drill squats on Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, May 16. 2022. Flenniken was recruited out Fort Worth, Texas. Log drill squats are done in unity to strengthen the recruit's legs and build teamwork skills.

U.S. Marines with Headquarters Battalion, Marine Force Reserve, take part in a pugil stick competition at Marine Corps Support Facility New Orleans, Oct. 26, 2022. The annual pugil stick "King of the Ring" competition is held to foster the spirit of competition and camaraderie within the unit through friendly competition.

Corporal Adrian Balderrama of Delta Company, 4th Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, and his teammates participate in the squad pushup station as part of a Marine of Steel event, during a sports day at Ilha do Governador, Rio de Janeiro, Sept. 4, 2022. Five-man teams from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jamaica, Paraguay, the United States of America, and Uruguay participated in a competition across a one-kilometer course, and eight exercise stations, including sprints, fireman carries, tire flips, swimming, box jumps, and weight lifting to test their strength while building international comradery. UNITAS is the world's longest-running annual multinational maritime exercise and focuses on enhancing interoperability among multiple nations and joint forces during littoral and amphibious operations in order to build on existing regional partnerships and create new enduring relationships that promote peace, stability, and prosperity i

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Angela Washington, 45th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight nurse, left, and Senior Airman Nestor Cabrejo, 45th AES logistics technician, transport a dummy on a litter during a simulated evacuation operation at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, Dec. 5, 2022. The 45th AES conducted an aeromedical evacuation operations team exercise in a simulated deployment setting. This exercise enhanced the capabilities of the Airmen to rescue wounded warriors from the battlefield with an aircrafts engines running.

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- Capt. Michael Stackhouse, of Lima, Ohio, and 1st Sgt. Christopher Roche, of Alexandria, Va., 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Saber, place gold combat spurs on the feet of Saber Troopers March 2, 2012. Gold combat spurs are presented to troopers serving more than 30 days in a combat zone with a cavalry unit--a tradition beginning in the civil war.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Matthew Maloney with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), instructs Marines on ground fighting during a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) green belt class on Camp Lejeune, September 28, 2022. MCMAP teaches Marines on the standards for hand-to-hand combat.

Fifteen Minnesota National Guard and two Croatian Soldiers are competing in Minnesotas Best Warrior Competition April 7-10, 2022, at Camp Ripley. The annual competition tests the military skills, physical strength and endurance of the top Soldiers and noncommissioned officers nominated by units across the state. Croatia and Minnesota have worked together for 25 years as part of the National Guards State Partnership Program. Minnesotas winners will move on to compete against the best Soldiers and noncommissioned officers from states across the region at Camp Ripley in May. (Minnesota National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Luther C. Talks)

Twelve National Guard Soldiers compete in the physical fitness event of the Region IV Best Warrior Competition on May 12, 2022. The competition runs May 11-15, 2022, at Camp Ripley, Minnesota and will test the military skills, physical strength and endurance of the top Soldiers and noncommissioned officers from the Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio National Guards. The winners will move on to compete in the National Guards competition on July 20-30, 2022, at Camp Smyrna, Tennessee. (Minnesota National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Sydney Mariette.)

Airmen with the 615th Contingency Response Wing based at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., participate in a training simulation at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. during Air Mobility Rodeo 2011. The Air Mobility Rodeo is the Air Mobility Command's biennial readiness competition that focuses on improving the professional core abilities of air mobility forces from the U.S. Air Force and allied nations.

Army Sgt. Curtis Bowen, with the North Carolina Army National Guards C Company, 1st Battalion, 252nd Armored Regiment, guides a road wheel from an M1 Abrams tank through a pre-determined course during the Gen. Gordon Sullivan Cup best tank crew competition at Fort Benning, Ga., Sunday, May 1, 2016. Competitors were required to move the wheel over a specific route in the shorter time possible. The Sullivan Cup tests tanks crews from throughout the Army on everything from gunnery to mounted land navigation, maintenance and combat casualty care in a variety of physically and mentally challenges setting to determine the Armys best tank crew.

Tech. Sgt. Kai Chantavong, an electrical power production craftsman with the 124th Civil Engineer Squadron, Boise, Idaho, carries a pallet at the site of the Cherokee Nation innovative readiness training project in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, June 6, 2022. The pallets were being used to build makeshift paths through the muddy construction site caused by recent rain storms.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera), 21st Signal Brigade, conduct Modern Army Combatives training at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, July 22, 2022. Combatives is the term for hand-to-hand combat training and techniques within the Army branch of the United States military.

Airmen participate in a corn hole tournament by the flight line, Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Ala., May 14, 2022. The Top Three Organization held the tournament to fundraise for the Enlisted Awards Banquet.

U. S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jesse Lopez, assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Company Europe (FASTEUR), participates in room clearing and suspect controlling training with the Spanish National Police's Grupo Especial de Operaciones (GEO), May 18, 2022. FASTEUR is deployed in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

A Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Airmen of the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron, Syracuse, N.Y. conducts the farmer's carry excercise, as part of the Special Warefare Operational Fitness Test, on Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, June 11, 2022. The SWOFT tests the operational ability of special warefare Airmen. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Janker.

Tech. Sgt. Shane Lutz, 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron, struggles to push a Humvee during part of the Defender Challenge event May 17 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Teams competed in various timed challenges related to the security forces experience. The Challenge was part the 96th Security Forces Squadrons Police Week activities. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

U.S. Army Soldiers and Air Force Airmen participate in a combative tournament on Forward Operating Base Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq, Feb. 24, 2008. Soldiers with 10th Mountain Division hosted the event for Soldiers and Air Force Airmen. The Army won in all three weight classes.

participants for MREP 2022 work together on team building exercises at Camp Nymindegab July 4, 2022. MREP is a program that houses almost 130 participants from 6 different nations, to increase interoperability, strengthen partnerships, and to enhance professional development between allies.

The Air Force District of Washington team works together during the Commando Challenge to pull a mock wounded solider on a stretcher across the finish line at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 18, 2022. The Commando Challenge is a competition that caps off the Medic Rodeo by having teams race while completing exercises and providing care to their patients. The MedicRodeo, hosted by the 27th Special Operations Wing, creates a ready medical force by testing the knowledge and skills of medics across the Air Force.

Competitors participate in the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) during the 2022 National Guard Bureau Region 2 Best Warrior Competition, held May 17-20, 2022, at Camp Dawson, Kingwood, West Virginia. The Best Warrior Competition is a physically and mentally challenging three-day competition that tests competitors on a wide range of technical and tactical skills relevant to todays combat operating environment. Region 2 consists of competitors from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Regional winners from across the nation will advance to compete at the national-level competition this summer.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jesse Johnson, 319th Security Forces Squadron flight sergeant, apprehends a simulated fallen aggressor during Readiness Exercise Validation Global Griffin 09-22 Sept. 27, 2022, at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. Members of the 319th SFS defended the simulated forward operating location during several simulated attacks.

Marines and sailors with Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, participated in a Teufel Hunden, or Devil Dog, challenge Aug. 12, 2016, on Camp Lejeune N. C. Companies competed against each other in sprint relays, pugil stick fighting, a pull-up and push-up competition, ground fighting and a high-intensity tactical training course. The field meet was organized to build camaraderie among the Marines and sailors. BLT 3/6 is a part of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

U.S. Marine Corps Chief Drill Instructor Saff Sgt. Rudy Rodriquez with Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, leads the recruits in warm up exercises during the confidence course at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, July 11, 2022. The Chief Drill Instructor will ensure every physical training exercise begins with a proper warmup.

030916-M-3843B-008. Base: Mcas, Beaufort State: South Carolina (SC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A French chief sergeant instructs 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army Hawaii Reserve soldiers French combatives techniques on Camp Papeari Tahiti, French Polynesia, May 11, 2022. Marara 22 is a multinational training exercise which enhances combined interoperability between the U.S. military and Frances Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters in French Polynesia. The training advances partners abilities to address complex and future contingencies throughout the Indo-Pacific. This is the first iteration of Exercise Marara at the multinational level.

Several Aircrew members from the 179th Airlift Wing, Mansfield, Ohio, celebrated their final flights June 16th, 2022, at the 179th Airlift Wing, Mansfield, Ohio. The "Fini" flight tradition is one where aircrew members are hosed down with water by their peers, family, and friends upon their completion of their final flight.

The 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division kicks off their Week of the Warrior competition May 2, 2022 on Camp Casey, Republic of Korea. The first day consisted of an Army Combat Fitness Test, land navigation, Engagement Skills Trainer scenario engagements, and Combat Water Survival Training.

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Potential cadet candidates arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School for in-processing in Colorado Springs, Colo., July 8, 2022. The prep school offers a select group of enlisted personnel and civilians a pathway to join the cadre at the Academy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong)

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