Modern Military Operations

Dynamic images of military operations in deserts, featuring troops, vehicles, and equipment during missions in Iraq and Kuwait, emphasizing deployment.

An M-1A1 Abrams main battle tank arrives on a Saudi transport truck during Operation Desert Shield. The M-1A1 will replace the older M-1 tank on the front line. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT SHIELD Country: Saudi Arabia(SAU)

030314-M-9124R-014. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Grizzly Country: Kuwait (KWT)

030408-M-3022S-005. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Amarah Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030403-M-0175R-004. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

An M-1A1 Abrams main battle tank arrives on a Saudi transport truck during Operation Desert Shield. The M-1A1 will replace the older M-1 tank on the front line. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT SHIELD Country: Saudi Arabia(SAU)

060416-A-6365W-067. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Forward Operating Base Remagen State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST

040819-A-6748E-024. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baqubah State: Diyaka Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030401-M-4419R-034. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 5th Marines

050630-A-9930K-040. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Bagram State: Parwan Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: CJTF-76

Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) load their Mercedes G IFAV (Interim Fast Attack Vehicle) in preparation to turnover their bivouac site to Army soldiers from the 101st Air Assault Division at Kandahar International Airport, Kandahar, Afghanistan, during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. In the background are the remains of an Mi-18 (HIP H) Soviet helicopter. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Kandahar International Airport Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: 26 MEU

030824-M-7837W-010. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Badrah Country: Iraq (IRQ)

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060128-A-2277C-024. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: International Zone State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)

041113-A-1067B-062. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 2-7 CAV

021002-F-2164A-010. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Unknown Scene Major Command Shown: CENTCOM

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jeremy Rieger, a radio operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, moves to provide security during an Advanced Motorized Operational Course, during Integrated Training Exercise 3-22 on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, April 23, 2022. ITX is a live-fire event that increases unit readiness. It teaches the tactical application of combined-arms maneuver as well as offensive and defensive operations during combat.

United States Army soldiers park three M998 High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) in a line between the angry Albanian and Serbian mobs near the town of Domerovce, Kosovo. The soldiers are members of the 1/187th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and 108th Military Police Company (MP), 503rd MP Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After two Serbian men disappeared, the Serbians believed the Albanians abducted the men and began to make threats and road obstructions to stop the Albanians from traveling safely through town. The Albanians began to form a mob to confront the Serbians until US and Russian Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops made a wall between the.... Complete Scene Caption: United States Army soldiers park three M998 High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) in a line between the angry Albanian and Serbian mobs near the town of Domerovce, Kosovo. The soldiers are members of the 1/187th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division Fort Campbel

041202-M-3988H-014. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Asad State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

A831007 SAFEGUARD AREA 25 WALTHERS (Project Engineer) JUN 27 83EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 6/27/1983 AREA 25; EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; FIELDS, AIR; HILLS; HILLSIDES; MILITARY VEHICLES (LAND); NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS; SAFEGUARDS; SAFEGUARDS EXERCISE; TEST SITES; TRUCKS; VEHICLES, MILITARY LAND historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

030408-M-4419R-090. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 5th Marines

A T-72 tank destroyed by NATO forces in the desert north of Ajdabiya, Libya. A war betwean Gaddafi army and Libya's Transitional National Council army with air support from NATO started on March 17, 2011.

US soldiers use a tank recovery vehicle to load mine plows for the M1A1 Abrams Tank onto an M977 heavy expanded mobility tactical truck (HEMTT) in the desert of Kuwait. Subject Operation/Series: VIGILANT WARRIOR Country: Kuwait (KWT)

060126-F-7823A-020. Base: Bi'Aj State: Ninawa Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030324-A-XXXXX-251. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Udayri Range Country: Kuwait (KWT)

041117-M-4329J-036. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: CSSB-1

030424-M-5150A-012. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 1ST Tank BN

HWAJIN-RI BEACH, Republic of Korea (March 29, 2023) - U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Assault Craft Unit 5 pilot a landing craft, air cushion on the beach during an amphibious assault training exercise for Ssang Yong 23. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. - ROK Alliance, Ssang Yong 2023 strengthens the Alliance through bilateral, joint training, contributing toward the ROK's combined defense of the Korean Peninsula and increasing the readiness of the U.S. -ROK Alliance.

Soldiers of the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 163rd Cavalry Regiment move towards their objective as a squad during a combined arms live fire exercise on Camp Buehring, Kuwait May 26, 2022.

FORT IRWIN, CALIF. - A vehicle from Killer Troop, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, defends their position while firing a simulated Tube-launched, Optically Tracked, Wire Guided missile at a 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank in the distance at the National Training Center, Aug. 3, 2016. This exercise was designed to test the Devil Brigades ability to conduct defensive operations while defending their Tactical Operations Center.

U.S Special Forces detonate C-4 plastic explosives to demonstrate its use at a training area 201

040608-M-0706S-007. Base: Al Shahabi State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 1/5, B Co.

First Lieutenant Eziezynski from the 177th Armoured Brigade waits in a High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), visually modified to represent an amphibious scout car (BRDM), at the National Training Center, during a battle exercise. Base: Fort Irwin State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

041115-F-8946M-003. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030104-M-0175R-016. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Unknown

040702-M-7514K-046. Base: Camp Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

M113 Armored Personnel Carriers from the Jordanian Armed Forces and an M1 Abrams from the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 163rd Cavalry Regiment move into an objective during a cordon and search operation during Exercise Eager Lion in Amman, Jordan, Sept. 5, 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.

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), provide weapons training to members of the Armed Forces of Djibouti (FAD), Bataillon dintervention rapide (BIR), Djibouti, May 11, 2022. The SFAB trains and advises foreign security forces to improve partner capabilities and facilitate achievement of U.S. strategic objectives.

060325-N-6901L-122. Base: Tarmiya State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Soldiers from the Royal Saudi Land Forces, conduct armored assaults with their M1 Abrams tank 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.

Soldiers from the Royal Saudi Land Forces, conduct armored assaults with their M1 Abrams tank 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.

030414-M-5150A-022. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 1ST Tank BN

970502-M-8731B-001. Complete Scene Caption: Marines from CSSD-27 (Combat Service Support Detachment) provide perimeter security for a convoy passing through the Delta Corridor Training Area during COMBINED ARMS Exercise (CAX) 6-97. CAX 5/6-97 is a MAGTF (Marine Air Ground Task Force) exercise being conducted at MCAGCC (Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center), 29 Palms, California. The command element for this exercise is MAGTF-6, which is built around the 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Many commands from the II MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) have sent units to this desert warfare exercise, to fill key billets in the Ground Combat Element (GCE), Air Combat Element (ACE) and the Combat Service Support Element (CSSE). Subject Operation/Series: CAX 6-97 Base: Mcagcc, Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

060424-A-6365W-135. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Forward Operating Base Remagen State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST

030408-M-4779G-004. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030319-M-9792P-011. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Matilda Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 11th Marines Regiment

030815-F-5586B-004. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baghdad International Airport Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030519-A-XXXXX-2434. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Iskandariyah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

A Marine from the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, operates an M-9 armored combat earthmover (ACE) while preparing positions for Task Force Breach Alpha on Hill 231 during Operation Desert Storm.. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Saudi Arabia(SAU)

070317-M-2819S-011. Complete Scene Caption: Marines with the Military Transition Team post security for a street while Soldiers in the Iraqi army search vehicles. Soldiers of the Iraqi Army and Marines with the Military Transition Team attached to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, and 1ST Division of the Iraqi Army conduct mounted security patrols as a combined forces exercise on March 7, 2007. Regimental Combat Team 6 is deployed with II Marine Expeditionary Force in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Anbar Province of Iraq (Multi-National Forces-West) to develop the Iraqi Security Forces, facilitate the development of official rule of law through democratic government reforms, and continue the development of a market based economy centered on Iraqi Reconstruction. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by CPL. Neill A. Sevelius) (Released) Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 2-2-1 MTT

A US Navy loadmaster directs a HMMWV, mounted with a machine gun, from the Regimental Landing Team One, 1ST Marine Division, off the landing craft, air cushion (LCAC) during the amphibious assault at Red Beach. Subject Operation/Series: Kernel Blitz '97 Base: Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Engine replacment on a Merkava Mark 4 battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces.

U.S. Army Maj. E. E. Smith gives a thumbs up to Iraqi National Police Col.l Ahmed Hatem Hamid Taher after observing no violence in the streets of Al Furat, Iraq, Aug. 9, 2007, during the 7th Imam holy day. Smith is a Team Chief assigned to the National Police Transition Team, 1st Battalion.

030320-M-5150A-008. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Ripper Country: Kuwait (KWT)

020611-A-8466M-019. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

060103-A-6365W-178. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fob Loyalty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030402-M-0175R-009. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Two Iraqi civilians walk past a US Marine Corps (USMC) 5th Marines, 1ST Marine Division (MARDIV), Camp Pendleton, California (CA), M997 High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), part of a convoy that stopped to refuel during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. (Substandard image). Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

060328-N-7586B-047. Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Approximately 80 Idaho Army National Guard Soldiers with the 1st Battalion of the 148th Field Artillery Regiment, along with counterparts from several states to include California, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin are training with the Royal Moroccan Army in the northern Sahara Desert as part of African Lion 22. Idahos battalion, from the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team and headquartered in Pocatello, left the United States June 18 for the two-week exercise overseas with the international partner. Idaho Soldiers spent the first week preparing for the combined arms live-fire multinational mission that is the primary focus of the second week and conducted annual crew certification on the M109A6 Howitzer. During the exercise, the battalion provided ground support with preparatory and destructive fires, as well as obscuration using white smoke fires. At the end of the two-week exercise, the Idaho National Guard and the four counterpart states will conduct the combined arms live-fire

U.S. Soldiers assigned to C Battery, 2nd Cavalry Regiment Field Artillery Squadron, fire the M777 Howitzer during a live fire exercise at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Feb. 6, 2024. 2nd Cavalry Regiment provides V Corps, Americas forward-deployed corps in Europe, with combat-credible forces capable of rapid deployment throughout the European theater to defend the NATO alliance. Army

030224-M-3138H-005. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 5TH MARINES

060206-A-6311S-171. Subject Operation/Series: SAFE PASSAGE Base: Southern Mamadia Country: Iraq (IRQ)

041221-M-2353F-002. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

040719-F-1351B-233. Base: Taji Country: Iraq (IRQ)

041209-M-0036Y-020. Base: Ar Ramadi State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

American servicemen prepare to use an M-88A1 armored recovery vehicle to tow away an Iraqi T-72 main battle tank that was captured during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Kuwait (KWT)

030407-M-0175R-110. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Qalat Sukar State: Dhi Qar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030214-M-3138H-063. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 5TH MARINES

030228-M-9106S-004. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: RCT-5 (5th Marines)

041227-M-2353F-007. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

060313-A-5043I-009. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Ramadi Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 109TH INFANTRY

Members of the United Kingdom's Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan) here remove the rigging from a Mk3 Merlin after an early-morning operation to recover the aircraft from a forward operating base. The helo suffered a hard landing recently, and JHF(A) turned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466 and its CH-53E Super Stallions for the lift because the Marines were the only squadron capable of reconfiguring its aircraft for a lift of this magnitude on extremely short notice.

040327-M-5150A-015. Base: Al Asad State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

040411-M-8703S-011. Base: USMC Air Ground Combat Center State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: 3rd Battalion 1ST Marines

060112-A-4545F-093. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Bayji State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Army Infantrymen assigned to the East Africa Response Force (EARF) in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), expend mortar rounds during a mortar range training, Djibouti, May 31, 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.

030324-M-4779G-019. Base: An Nasariyah State: Dhi Qar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 1 RCT

US Marine Corps (USMC) Marines assigned to Charlie Company, 1ST Battalion, 7th Marines, destroy Iraqi T-55 Main Battle Tanks (MBT), outside an abandoned oil storage facility near Az Zubayr, Iraq, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Az Zubayr Country: Iraq (IRQ)

040608-M-0706S-038. Base: Al Shahabi State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 1/5, B Co.

Soldiers from the Afghan National Army relax after a patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 14, 2010.The ANA soldiers and Marines from 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to eliminate Taliban presence and intimidation from the city of Marjah.

The 20mm M-168 Vulcan gun on an M-163A1 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Saudi Arabia(SAU)

030320-M-3138H-013. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Ripper Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 7th Marines

Soldiers from the British Army conduct a live-fire exercise with their L11A1 heavy and light machine guns, during Exercise Eager Lion in Jordan, Sept. 13, 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.

A video cameraman films M-113 armored personnel carriers as they move along the pier toward a Military Sealift Command vehicle cargo ship. The vehicles, along with other equipment and ordnance, are being redeployed to the United States in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Saudi Arabia (SAU)

030315-A-XXXXX-148. Base: Camp New Jersey Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: Northeast

U.S. Army Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division provide security as platoon members speak with residents during a cordon and knock operation in the Adhamiyah district of Baghdad, Iraq, March 18, 2008.

050331-N-6501M-008. Base: Najaf Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Marines with India Battery, the artillery attachment for Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fire a 120 mm towed mortar system, called the Expeditionary Fire Support System here, May 17, during Exercise Eager Lion 12. Eager Lion 12 is taking place throughout the month of May and is designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships of more than 19 participating partner nations. This is the second major exercise for the 24th MEU who, along with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, is currently deployed to the U.S Central Command area of operations as a theater security and crisis response force.

030214-M-3138H-061. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 5TH MARINES

With interperters onboard Marines with Alpha Company, Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) head toward a village as they conduct a mounted patrol using an LAV-25 (Light Armored Vehicle-25) near the Kandahar International Airport, Kandahar, Afghanistan, during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Kandahar International Airport Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: 26 MEU

030216-M-6538A-007. Base: Udari Range Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: RCT 5

040424-M-1623M-007. Base: Mcagcc, Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

030409-M-9124R-013. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030404-M-0175R-002. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Soldiers from the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) watch the progress of a power pack being lifted from its packing crate by an M-88 armored recovery vehicle at the end of their unit's rotation to the National Training Center. Base: Fort Irwin State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Marines with Motor Transport Platoon, Combat Logistics Battalion 13, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct Motorized Immersion Training during Realistic Urban Training exercise at Marine Corp Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms on June 7, 2022. The 13th MEU is currently conducting RUT exercise to enhance the integration and collective capability of the MEUs command, air, ground, and logistics elements and prepare the 13th MEU to meet the nations crisis response needs during their upcoming overseas deployment.

LONG BEACH, NY - Soldiers and Airmen with the New York Air National Guard provide relief support to Long Beach, New York following severe damage caused by Hurricane Sandy on November 2nd, 2012.(USAF / Senior Airman Christopher S Muncy / released)

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