Modern Military Training Exercises

Images depict U.S. military personnel engaged in various training exercises, including physical drills and equipment inspections, showcasing teamwork and skills.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Ryan Burgess (right) and Cpl. Troy Manaloto (left), both mortarmen with 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, inspect 81 mm mortar system rounds during combat rehearsals at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 8, 2022. This training improved the Marines' proficiency at the tactical level and developed small-unit leadership. 3/3 is forward deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division as part of the Unit Deployment Program.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Ryan Burgess (right) and Cpl. Troy Manaloto (left), both mortarmen with 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, inspect 81 mm mortar system rounds during combat rehearsals at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 8, 2022. This training improved the Marines' proficiency at the tactical level and developed small-unit leadership. 3/3 is forward deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division as part of the Unit Deployment Program.

Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division receive their silver spurs after completing a spur ride at Hunter Army Airfield, May 20, 2022. Of the 81 spur candidates that started the event, 79 completed the 32-mile challenge, earning their right to wear silver spurs.

A Soldier 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. Army 2nd Lt. Christopher Paley, left, and Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Cox, right, aim their weapons during a situational training exercise (STX) lane held during the 2022 Eighth Army Best Warrior and Squad Competition at Camp Casey, South Korea, May 11, 2022. The Eighth Army Best Warrior and Squad Competition is a week-long event consisting of several tests of the participants general Army knowledge and skills.

Spc. Isaias Lerma crosses the horizontal rope obstacle during the 2022 SETAF-AF Best Warrior and Squad Competition on May 25, 2022 in Vicenza, Italy. The competition spans four physically and mentally demanding days where competitors are tested on a variety of tactical and technical skills as they vie to be named the best squad/ best warrior. Six squads and 38 individual Soldiers from nine units are competing to represent the Soldiers "South of the Alps".

Combat Arms Training and Maintenance instructors supervise 512th Airlift wing reservists during weaponry training at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Dec. 3, 2022. CATM instructors specialize in training Airmen on the proper use and maintenance of weapons.

1st. Lt Calvin Britt. 25th Infantry Division, carry a skid litter during an physical training exercise for the Army's Best Medic Competition. Twenty-two two-Soldier teams from all around the world traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to compete in the finals to be named the Armys Best Medic. The competition is a 72-hour arduous test of the teams physical and mental skills. 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 Staff Sgt. Daniel Herman)

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. (Jul. 26, 2022) Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 work with Marines assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 273 enact their emergency destruction plan during Operation Turning Point, also known as their Field Training Exercise. Operation Turning Point is an around-the-clock exercise that focuses on constructing advanced bases while maintaining proficiency in tactics and survivability. NMCB 1 is homeported out of Gulfport, Miss. They are conducting an intense homeport training plan to expand their ability to execute construction, humanitarian assistance, and theater operations.

DPS and TXANG participate in an excercise with the Capitol Area Strike Team

U.S. Marines with 2d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, carry a simulated casualty to safety during Technology Operational Experimentation Exercise (TOEE) 22 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 28, 2022. TOEE 22 is specifically focused on emerging Naval concepts, such as expeditionary advanced base operations to provide selective science and technology initiatives with service-level experimentation through expeditionary logistics/naval sustainment, littoral maneuver-mobility using unmanned systems and sensors, and logistics operations as part of a maritime command and control network.

55th Force Support Squadron members search an area for any debris or human remains possibly hidden in the grass during search and recovery training April 1, 2022, at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Airmen participated in a Home Station Readiness Training Exercise to assist the mission and create Multi-Capable Airmen.

Michigan National Guard competitors take off from the bianchi battle starting line at the Winston P. Wilson Small Weapons Competion at Robinson Maneuver Training Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas, July 24, 2017. Elite Guardsmen from 47 states and territories are competing to be recognized as the Guard's best marksmen July 23-28.

Spc. Nathaniel Hill, a military police officer with the Nevada Army National Guard's 485th Military Police Company, engages targets with an M9 pistol during a tactical stress shoot as part of the 2013 Army National Guard Best Warriror Competition at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Ark., Monday, July 22, 2013. The competition is a grueling three-day physical and mental challenge that tests the competitors on a variety of soldier skills and other tasks. The winners of the competition are named the Army National Guard Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year of the year and then move on to the Department of the Army competition.

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, clear a wall into a simulated enemy compound during Exercise Bold Quest on Fort Stewart, Georgia, Aug. 16, 2022. Bold Quest is an annual collaborative joint and multinational enterprise in which nations, services, and programs pool their resources in a recurring cycle of capability development to demonstrate a joint capability to link sensors to shooters across air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace.

Pfc. Jessica Funk, a military policeman with the 342nd Military Police Company, rappels down the tower here in Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin. Soldiers from the 300th Military Police Brigade spent two weeks in Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin participating in Spartan Warrior. Soldiers were able to train on their job specific tasks and Army Warrior tasks.

031202-F-9085B-019. Base: Pope Air Force Base State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: AMC

Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron (H&HS) Marines participate in the humvee pull during the H&HS field meet at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, August 1, 2012. The purpose of the field meet was to bolster friendly competition as well as camaraderie between the various departments within H&HS.

U.S. Army Pacific Best Warrior competitors conducted Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction Systems training June 7 during the 2022 USARPAC Best Warrior Competition at the 25th Infantry Division's Lightning Academy, Schofield Barracks East Range, Hawaii. The USARPAC BWC 2022 is an annual week-long competition consisting of competitors from multiple USARPAC units across the Indo-Pacific. The noncommissioned officers and junior enlisted Soldiers are evaluated in several categories such as general military knowledge, basic Soldier skills, and physical fitness.

U.S. Marines Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 172 and Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 36 conduct buddy carries during a field meet at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 9, 2024. Marines with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1, MWSS-172, and MALS-36 held the field meet to foster a sense of comradery, healthy competition, and esprit de corps between the three squadrons. Marine Corps

Staff Sgt. Marcus Thomas holds onto a chain creating a human bridge on Oct. 22, 2010, at Camp Bullis, Texas. Security forces Airmen use teamwork to complete various obstacles at the Leadership Reaction Course during the Combat Leadership Course.

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)

A U.S. Army Paratrooper runs and drags his MC-6 parachute towards the objective on Glen Rock Drop Zone during Leapfest 2022 at Exeter, Rhode Island, August 6, 2022. Leapfest is the largest, longest standing, international static line parachute training event and competition hosted by the 56th Troop Command, Rhode Island Army National Guard to promote high level technical training and esprit de corps within the International Airborne community.

A day of unique Combat Water Survival and Swift Water Rescue Training was conducted in the waters of the Fox River in Oshkosh, Wis. by the Soldiers of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team this Saturday, September 10. This rigorous day of training was designed to prepare the Soldiers of Company A to answer the call to ait in domestic operations whenever needed. The event is the companys first large-scale home station training with all Soldiers back together after many deployments and state missions over the past few years. (32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team photo by Staff Sgt. Kati Volkman/Released)

Cadets from Virginia Techs bravo team race to complete the Weapon Skills event during 1st Brigades Army ROTC Ranger Challenge on October 28 at Fort Knox, Ky. The Ranger Challenge runs October 26-29, and the top two teams go on to compete in the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at West Point Military Academy in April 2023. | Photo by Sarah Windmueller, U.S. Army Cadet Command Public Affairs

1st Lt. Michael Singer (front) and 1st Lt. Mathew McKenzie, 1-187 Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), carries ammunition cans at the Best Ranger Competition April 10th, 2022, at Fort Benning, Ga. The ammunition cans are to physically weaken the soldiers before shooting at the range, to test soldiers physical endurance.

120106-N-MN502-321 PUERTO QUETZAL, Guatemala (Jan. 6, 2011) Cpl. Bradley Brouwer, assigned to the Marine detachment aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV 2) Swift, participates in a Marine Corps martial arts session with Guatemalan paratroopers. The exercise was part of Southern Partnership Station, an annual deployment of U.S. ships to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

U.S. Army Capt. Christopher Wunsch, a dentist with DENTAC-Japan, performs the plank exercise during an Army Combat Fitness Test during Medical Readiness Command, Pacific's Fiscal Year 2023 Best Medic Competition, Oct. 26, 2022 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Eight top Soldiers from across MRC,P competed in ten events over three days including a 15-mile ruck march, water survival tests, marksmanship, combat casualty care, and more.

U.S. Air National Guard Airman assigned to the 178th Wings Security Forces Squadron, observe a member participate in OC spray training, May 15, 2022, in Springfield, Ohio. Members are exposed to the OC spray to understand the effects and how to handle a scenario where they are sprayed themselves.

U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party specialists from the 18th Air Support Operations Group compete in Dragon Challenge 2022 at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina. The annual competition is designed to identify the best Joint Terminal Attack Controller teams within the group by testing the competitors steadfast physical, technical, tactical, and field-knowledge skills under mocked combat conditions.

Staff Sgt. Jeff Cooper, a Glenwood, Iowa, native and infantryman assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, Iowa Army National Guard, high fives Sgt. Drake Latham, a Clarinda, Iowa, native and infantryman assigned to Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 1-168th Infantry, during rappelling practice at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa, on Sept. 14, 2022. Nearly 30 Soldiers and Airmen participated in a Master Rappel course hosted by a mobile training team from the Army National Guard Warrior Training Center based out of Fort Benning, Georgia.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Patrick Costello, a combat engineer with 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, crosses a rope bridge during Summer Pioneer 2022 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 18, 2022. Summer Pioneer 2022 is a naval engineering exercise demonstrating integrated U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy formations to establish and sustain expeditionary advanced bases and maritime domain awareness.

Soldiers and NCOs from the West Virginia and District of Columbia National Guards compete in their annual Best Warrior Competition, held at Camp Dawson, Kingwood, West Virginia, April 22, 2022. Best Warrior is an annual event where participants compete in a series of military tasks including weapons proficiency, endurance, physical fitness, medical skills, communications, and professional development activities. Winners of the local Best Warrior will compete at the regional level in May, also at Camp Dawson.

U.S. Army Infantry soldiers-in-training assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry Regiment, 198th Infantry Brigade, practice rappelling on the short wall at Eagle Tower November 8, 2022, on Fort Benning.

A U.S Marine with 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, plays with his dog after returning home on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Aug. 15, 2022. Marines with 3/2 return home from a unit deployment program in Japan.

1st Air Cavalry Brigade Troopers from 615th Aviation Support Battalion and 2-227th General Support Aviation Battalion participate in a spur ride at Oberdachstetten Training Area, Germany, April 7, 2022. A Spur Ride is a time-honored tradition where candidates go through a rigorous set of obstacles designed to test their physical and mental fortitude. The obstacles evaluate leadership, technical and tactical proficiency, and the ability to operate as part of a team under high levels of stress and fatigue, during both day and night conditions.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Kendrick Schumacher, top, competes in a grappling event during the Security Battalion Field Meet on 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. 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.

A U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor gives commands to a Poolee with Recruiting Station Richmond, 4th Marine Corps District during the annual Statewide Pool Function at U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee, Virginia, April 23, 2022. The purpose of a Statewide Pool Function is to prepare and sustain the Poolees for recruit training, build morale, and answer any questions families may have about the Marine Corps.

120106-N-MN502-407 PUERTO QUETZAL, Guatemala (Jan. 6, 2011) Cpl. Bradley Brouwer and Cpl. Lucas Ottander-Todd, assigned to the Marine detachment aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV 2) Swift, demonstrate an arm-bar to a group of Guatemalan paratroopers. The exercise was part of Southern Partnership Station, an annual deployment of U.S. ships to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Spc. Nigel Helley of the North Dakota Army National Guard's 426th Signal Company battles the obstacle course during the third day of the Region 6 Best Warrior Competition at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center. The annual competition pits the best noncommissioned officers and soldiers from eight western states.

Cpl. Anthonie Esparza, Missouri National Guard, climbs over an obstacle at Camp Gruber Training Center, near Braggs, Okla., May 17, 2022. Esparza is competing in the National Guard Region V Best Warrior Competition. The annual competition brings together top-tier soldiers to challenge them on a variety of Army warrior tasks and consists of eight events that promote Soldier readiness and recognizes individuals who embody the Army Values. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Sgt. Reece Heck)

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.

Soldiers with Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey National Guard, conduct a Sling Load operation at the eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) exercise at Fort Drum, New York. More than 2,500 Soldiers are participating in the training event, which enables brigade combat teams to achieve the trained platoon readiness necessary to deploy, fight, and win. (U.S. Army National Guard photos by Sgt. Benjamin Martinez)

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, execute a front kick 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. Army Spc. Joseph Voss, assigned to the United States Army Garrison Benelux, vaults over the Six Vault obstacle during an obstacle course for the Installation Management Command-Europe Best Warrior competition at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, April 3, 2023. The competition enhances expertise, training, and understanding of the skills needed to be a well-rounded Soldier. Winners will go on to compete at the Installation Management Command level.

031007-M-9382M-185. Base: Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Marines with Corporals Course, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, 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

U.S. Army Spc. Oscar Lozada, a human resources specialist with the New York Army National Guard's 369th Sustainment Brigade and other Soldiers with the brigade, practice grenade throwing techniques, during annual training at Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard National Training Center, Jonestown, PA, July 14, 2022. The sustainment brigade provides support and services to enable operational reach, ensure freedom of action, and prolong endurance for Army forces.

U.S. Navy Capt. Joseph Kochan assists a U.S. Sailor assigned to Expeditionary Medical Facility stationed in Jacksonville, Florida with his equipment during performing immediate life saving measures (PILM) training, June 16, 2022, at West Camp Rapid, South Dakota. PILM training allowed the trainees to respond to simulated stimuli of a battlefield in which they will have to utilize lifesaving and stabilizing measures on the battlefield to ensure the patient is secure.

Marines of the riot control team for Golf Battery, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, attempt to subdue a role player wielding a weapon during the culminating event of the units public disorder and non-lethal weapons employment training aboard Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 24. One of the secondary missions of Golf Battery is to serve as a non-lethal contingency force for the 31st MEU, useful in embassy security reinforcement, humanitarian operations and many other contingencies.

Airman 1st Class Jacob Buckley holds a training pad as Airman James Patterson practices attacking an enemy after being exposed to oleoresin capsicum pepper spray at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Oct. 25, 2012. First-term security forces Airmen must complete this training after arriving at their first duty station. Buckley and Patterson are both 20th Security Forces Squadron security response members.

U.S. Army Spc. Arrion Manuel, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Infantry Division Artillery, drives tent stakes down to hold a tactical action center in place at Forward Operating Site Adazi, Latvia, July 13, 2022. The 1st Infantry Division Artillery is among other units assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, proudly working alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America's forward deployed corps in Europe.

220617-N-LI114-1011 YIGO, Guam (June 17, 2022) A member of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Five, attached to Commander, Task Force 70, deployed aboard the U.S. Navys only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) prepares for parachute insertion operations during Exercise Valiant Shield 2022 (VS22). VS22 is a U.S.-only, biennial field training exercise (FTX) focused on integration of joint training in a multi-domain environment. This training builds real-world proficiency in sustaining world forces through detecting, locating, tracking and engaging units at sea, in the air, on land and in cyberspace in response to a range of mission areas.

010419-F-7253S-015. Base: Fairchild Air Force Base State: Washington (WA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: AMC

Gov. Spencer J. Cox salutes Utah Army National Guard Soldiers as they march during the 67th Annual Governors Day at Camp Williams, Utah, Sept. 24, 2022. The tradition of Governors Day has been a part of the Utah National Guard since 1954 and allows the commander in chief and adjutant general of the Utah National Guard a joint opportunity to inspect and speak to their troops.

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Zachary Wheeler, a native of Derry, New Hampshire, and the ropes and recovery branch officer in charge, assigned to II Marine Expeditionary Force, Expeditionary Operations Training Group (EOTG), oversees Marines knot tying techniques for a knot tying evaluation during the Assault Climber Course aboard Stone Bay, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Jan. 19, 2023. Assault Climber Course is an opportunity for the EOTG to train and evaluate the 26th Marine Expeditionary Units ability to complete special individual and collective tasks, and evaluates their ability to conduct assigned mission essential tasks in order to prepare those forces to support the geographic combatant commanders.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Matthew Romonoskye-Bean, right, combat videographer, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, pulls a Marine during a culminating event for a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) gray and green belt course at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, July 26, 2022. MCMAP aims to strengthen the mental and moral resiliency of individual Marines through combat training.

Distinguished visitors observe U.S. service members participating in Appalachian Care Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) 2022 navigate an obstacle course while carry a simulated casualty on a litter during Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Wise, Va., Aug. 19, 2022. IRT is a Department of Defense (DoD) military training opportunity, exclusive to the United States and its territories, that delivers joint training opportunities to increase deployment readiness. Simultaneously, IRT provides key services (health care, construction, transportation, and cybersecurity) with lasting benefits for our American communities.

Tech. Sgt. Kainoa Marumoto, 8th Fighter Wing wing inspection team member, verifies Tactical Combat Casualty Care capabilities during a simulated injury scenario at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Aug. 17, 2022. Airmen from the 8th LRS tested their ability to provide TCCC capabilities to members of the 8th Fighter Wing as part of a training event.

Soldiers assigned to the Effingham-based Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Illinois Army National Guard take part in basic rappelling training hosted by members of the Colombian Army Air Assault School during Exercise Southern Vanguard 23 on Nov. 6, 2022 at Tolemaida Military Base, Colombia. Exercise Southern Vanguard is U.S. Army South's premier training exercise taking place at the operational and tactical levels intended to increase interoperability between the United States and Western Hemisphere forces. This year's iteration, Exercise Southern Vanguard 23, involves Soldiers from U.S. Army South and the U.S. Army National Guard training alongside Colombian Army soldiers in varying terrain while conducting weapon familiarization lanes culminating in a bilateral military training operation.

Spc. Lucas Dalfonsi of the New Jersey Army National Guards Echo Company, 250th Brigade Support Battalion pounds the final stake of a tent at a logistics supply point at Fort Drum, N.Y. on July 9 prior to the launch of the eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) exercise. The three-week exercise runs from July 10 to July 30 and enables brigade combat teams to achieve the readiness necessary to deploy, fight and win battles throughout the world.

U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 172 participate in a tug-of-war match during a field meet at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 9, 2024. Marines with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1, MWSS-172, and Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36 held the field meet to foster a sense of comradery, healthy competition, and esprit de corps between the three squadrons. Marine Corps

Readiness Challenge VIII participants from Air Force Special Operations Command's 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida, tackle one of the final events -- an obstacle course -- April 22, 2022, at the Silver Flag Exercise Site, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The Department of the Air Force CE event is hosted by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center. After a 20+ year hiatus, the challenge, a premier event for Department of the Air Force civil engineers, is back. This year's Readiness Challenge is the initial operating capability event before the challenge reaches full operating capability within the next two years. At this year's event, which runs through April 22, eight teams representing major commands and U.S. Space Force are facing off in about 20 events showing myriad of CE capabilities from emergency airfield lighting and water purification to building a guard shack from the ground up and firefighting and EOD operations.

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jason Fox, top, Martial Arts Instructor (MAI) Trainer, and Staff Sgt. Donovan Mctague, MAI Trainer, demonstrate counter to the round kick technique at Ellis Field, Courthouse Bay on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, April 8, 2022. The MAI course is a three-week course designed to prepare Marines to teach and instruct the fundamentals of hand-to-hand combat.

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.

Participants compete in the 2022 Ohio Army National Guard combatives tournament July 23, 2022, at the Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler Armory in Columbus, Ohio. The U.S. Army combatives program enhances unit combat readiness by building Soldiers' personal courage, confidence and resilience, as well as their situational responsiveness to close quarters threats in the operational environment. (Photo by Spc. Jessica Silhavy, 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/RELEASED)

U.S. Marines with Marine Air Support Squadron (MASS) 2 participate in a pugil stick battle during a field meet at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Jan. 19, 2024. The field meet was held in celebration of MASS-2's 81st Anniversary.

U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers from the United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) prepare for the next day's airborne operation by executing Parachute Landing Fall's (PLF's) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Saturday, July 27, 2008.

011006-F-0148C-015. Base: Tulsa International Airport State: Oklahoma (OK) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: ANG

A U.S. Marine with 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, performs a bench press during the Trinity Games at Camp Hansen, Japan, June 30, 2022. The Trinity Games were held to foster the spirit of competition and comradery within the unit. 3/3 is forward deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division as part of the Unit Deployment Program.

U.S. Soldiers conduct belaying operations during an Air Assault course hosted at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa, on Sept. 6, 2022. Over 200 Soldiers and Airmen participated in a 12-day U.S. Army Air Assault course held at Camp Dodge, which trains service members in sling load operations and rappelling. The students practiced rappelling and belaying on a 60-foot rappel tower. Cadre from the Army National Guard Warrior Training Center at Fort Benning, Georgia, traveled as a mobile training team to teach the course.

U.S. Marines with 2d Assault Amphibian Battalion (AAbn), 2d Marine Division grapple during Gator Week on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, April 4, 2023. Gator Week is an annual field meet held to commemorate the unit's traditions and past accomplishments in order to increase camaraderie and esprit de corps.

Indiana National Guard Sgt. Alex Cooke, of Greenfield and a 38th Infantry Division combat medic, shows fellow soldiers the proper way to evaluate a casualty during tactical combat casualty care training at Camp Atterbury near Edinburgh, Indiana, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. The division's soldiers prepare for their upcoming warfighter exercise and follow-on mobilization at the southern Indiana training center.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Nathanael Banden, right, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight training section chief, and U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Armand Vidovic, 18th CES EOD team member, conduct a flightline EOD brief at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 6, 2024. EOD technicians are in charge of disposing of any undetonated ordinance after an airfield bombing by carefully setting them off in a controlled manner before repair teams are sent out. Air Force

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)

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. Army Sgt. Kora James, left, property book non-commissioned officer-in-charge, and U.S. Army Spc. Dainerah Baxter, right, supply specialist, both assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, drag a weighted sled during the Sprint-Drag-Carry event of the Army Combat Fitness Test at the Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio, Sep. 23, 2022. The ACFT is designed to test Soldiers physical capabilities, providing various events that simulate the physical necessities of the battlefield.

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Stephan Bristow, a Colorado Springs, Colorado, native and an infantry officer with 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, conducts a low crawl during the Division Leader Assessment Program 4-22 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 7, 2022. The assessment program provides Marines with learning and mentorship opportunities, which helps train and develop Marines that demonstrate an apex level of lethality, endurance and comprehensive warfighting ability.

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Stephan Bristow, a Colorado Springs, Colorado, native and an infantry officer with 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, conducts a low crawl during the Division Leader Assessment Program 4-22 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 7, 2022. The assessment program provides Marines with learning and mentorship opportunities, which helps train and develop Marines that demonstrate an apex level of lethality, endurance and comprehensive warfighting ability.

Recruits with Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, learn and execute Basic Warrior Training techniques on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., November 16, 2022. Recruits are taught basic infantry skills such as land navigation, maneuvering through obstacles, and buddy rushing.

U.S. Air Force Col. Craig Prather, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, stands across from a Military Working Dog in protective gear, ready for bite-training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, June 9, 2022. MWDs are an integral part of base security and help complete the Security Forces ability to protect the base.

Spc. Patrick Chayeb, representing the U.S. Army Materiel Command, assesses simulated casualty injuries during the medical lanes portion of the Armys first-ever Best Squad Competition on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Oct. 1, 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, evaluating their physical and mental endurance, technical and tactical abilities, and basic warrior skills under stress and extreme fatigue.

Soldiers from the 870th Military Police Company conduct nonlethal weapons training in Concord, CA June 11-12, 2022. The M39 Individual Riot Control Agent Dispenser (IRCAD) is used to subdue combatants without causing permanent damage. Military Police Soldiers are certified to react if the OC blows back and contaminants them while engaged in stopping a combatant. The Human Electromuscular Incapacitation (HEMI) device luanches an electrode to stun and override the central nervous system of a combatant. The X26 has two barbed projectiles that penetrate up to 2 inches and give an electrical charge to the victim. The electrical charge will make the combatant have involuntary muscle contractions. the effective range for the equipment the 870th MP Company used today was 25 feet. (U.S. Army National Guard photos by Sgt. John Stephens, 49th MP Brigade, CAANG)

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, execute an upper-cut during a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) training event at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Feb. 15, 2023. MCMAP aims to strengthen the mental and moral resiliency of individual recruits and Marines through realistic combative training, warrior ethos studies and physical hardening.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Humberto Monasterio, a maintenance automotive technician, with 1st Transportation Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, practices a green belt technique during exercise Native Fury 22 at a Logistics Support Area established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Aug. 12, 2022. Native Fury 22 is a biennial exercise focused on the demonstration of the rapid offload and integration of a Maritime Prepositioned Force in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of regional security, crisis response, and contingency operations.

U.S. service members conduct medical training during a Joint Emergency Medicine Exercise at Fort Hood, TX, on June 6, 2022. The training was accomplished from 06-10 June 2022 at the Fort Hood medical simulation training center for all graduating Tri-Service Emergency and Family Medicine residents and multiple medical occupational specialists within Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, U.S. Army Regional Health Command-Central, U.S. Army Medical Command, and III Armored Corps.

U.S. Army ROTC Cadets assigned to the U.S. Army Cadet Command 2nd Brigade accept awards for placing first overall during the Ranger Challenge at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. on Oct. 23, 2022.The competition is conducted over two days on a non-tactical course. The mission is to challenge Cadets' mental and physical toughness and to develop leadership while fostering teamwork and esprit-de-corps. Teams participate in nine graded events, each team is awarded points based on how well they perform in each event. The best team in each event is awarded a trophy for being the first, second, and third place teams. The number one team is The Ranger Challenge Winner for that year.

Constable Sanya Antoine with the Special Services Unit from St. Lucia participates in medical evacuation training at the National Police Training Academy in Belmopan, Belize May 10, 2022 during TRADEWINDS22. Tradewinds 2022 is a multinational exercise designed to expand the Caribbean regions capability to mitigate, plan for, and respond to crises; increase regional training capacity and interoperability; develop new and refine existing standard operating procedures; enhance ability to defend exclusive economic zones; and promote human rights and adherence to shared international norms and values; fully integrate women into defense, peace and security missions; and increase maritime domain awareness to deter illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities.

U.S. Navy Corpsman with 3rd Landing Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, treat a mock casualty while participating in mass casualty response training at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex during Freedom Shield 24, Republic of Korea, Feb. 26, 2024. FS 24 is an annual joint, combined, and inter-agency exercise in the ROK that strengthens the combined command and control capabilities of U.S. and ROK forces. This exercise provides the U.S. and ROK Marines the opportunity to rehearse combined operations, exchange knowledge, and demonstrate the strength and capability of the U.S.-ROK alliance. Frederick is a native of Queens, New York, and Thompson is a native of South Carolina. Marine Corps

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, execute an elbow strike during the combat conditioning course at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Sept. 7, 2022. The combat conditioning course was designed to increase recruits' stamina and ability to perform Marine Corps Martial Arts Program techniques.

A U.S. Army Infantry soldier-in-training assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry Regiment, 198th Infantry Brigade, traverses an obstacle November 8, 2022, on Fort Benning.

Private First Class Wylie Summers, from Clarksville, Tenn., Company B, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), interrogator, holds his opponent in his guard during the super heavyweight division finals in a combatives tournament hosted by 3rd STB, Sept. 13., honoring the battalions third birthday.

Twenty Minnesota National Guard, four Croatian, and three Canadian Soldiers are competing in Minnesotas Best Warrior Competition March 29 - April 1, 2023, at Camp Ripley, near Little Falls, Minnesota. The annual competition tests the military skills, physical strength and endurance of the top Soldiers and noncommissioned officers nominated by units across the state. This year two of Minnesotas longstanding partner nations, Croatia and Canada, have sent competitors to participate. Minnesotas winners will move on to compete against the best Soldiers and noncommissioned officers from multiple states at the Region IV Best Warrior Competition hosted by the Ohio National Guard in May.

16th Combat Aviation Brigade Command. Sgt. Maj. Christopher Boyle, led Soldiers and noncommissioned officers from across the brigade on a challenging physical training circuit in remembrance of the "Mogadishu Mile," at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on Sept. 29, 2022.

U.S. Army Sgt. Fernando Diaz, a combat medic assigned to 568th Medical Company (Ground Ambulance), Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea, low-crawls under barbed wire while completing the confidence course during the 2012 Pacific Regional Medical Command Best Medic Competition Aug. 29, 2012, at Schofield Barracks, in Wahiawa, Hawaii. The PRMC Best Medic competition is a 72-hour physical and mental test of U.S. Army Medics leadership, teamwork, tactics, medical knowledge and warrior tasks. The winners of the PRMC competition move on to compete for the Armyís Best Medic at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

U.S. Marines with a Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor Course prepare to spar during a MCMAIC culminating event, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Oct. 06, 2022. The purpose of the MCMAIC culminating event was to challenge and test the course participants on both MCMAP techniques and endurance before becoming a Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor.

Estonian soldiers learn how to conduct personnel searches the US way during Situational Training Exercise 5, Check Point Operations/ Weapons Disarmament, COOPERATIVE OSPREY 96. Cooperative Osprey is a United States Atlantic Command sponsored exercise that is conducted by Marine Forces Atlantic at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Cooperative Osprey, under the Partnership for Peace program, will provide interoperability training in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations along NATO/IFOR standArds, with an emphasis on individual and collective skills. The three NATO countries providing troops are the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands. The 16 "Partnership for Peace" nations .... Complete Scene Caption: Estonian soldiers learn how to conduct personnel searches the US way during Situational Training Exercise 5, Check Point Operations/ Weapons Disarmament, COOPERATIVE OSPREY 96. Cooperative Osprey is a United States Atlantic Command sponsored exercise that is conducted by Marine Forc

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