Silhouetted Soldiers in Action

Silhouettes of military personnel during training exercises and operations, set against dramatic backdrops, conveying readiness and resolve.

Silhouette of a U.S. Marine in uniform.

Silhouette of a U.S. Marine in uniform.

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, patrol during a G-36 live-fire attack as a part of their Marine Corps Readiness Evaluation on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 14, 2022. This type of training evolution is the culminating event aimed at validating the units readiness to conduct combat operations.

Pfc. Rico Morales, 19, a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and a native of San Angelo, Texas, provides security as other Marines form fighting positions during the Battalion Assault Course, part of Intergrated Training Exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif. Sept. 16, 2013. The three day course is the last portion of training for 2/3 before their Pacific deployment this winter.

021219-A-1797M-034. Base: Shinkay Village State: Zabol Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operators with the 24th Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida, transport a simulated patient during a humanitarian disaster relief exercise as part of Emerald Warrior 22.1 at Robbins Air Force Base, Georgia, May 9, 2022. Emerald Warrior is the largest joint special operations exercise involving U.S. Special Operations Command forces training to respond to various threats across the spectrum of conflict.

U.S. Army Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Brigade (Long Range Surveillance Detachment) conduct a patrol near Bodro, Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2007.

A U.S. Army Soldier, with Bravo Company, 1-114th Infantry Regiment, stands for a portrait at the Fort Dix Ranges on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, March 26, 2023.

Coast Guard MSST New Orleans team member prepares for a training scenario at sunset near New Orleans, Louisiana, November 9, 2022. Maritime Safety and Security Team New Orleans conducts training on a regular basis to stay mission ready year round for any deployment.

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. David Hirt, left, AH-1 instructor and Maj. Stephen Piantanida, AH-1 instructor with Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) observe the terrain using night vision goggles during offensive air support exercise (OAS) 5 in support of Weapons and Tactics Instructor course (WTI) 2-17 at Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, Ariz., April 11, 2017. OAS is designed to focus on the integration of all air combat element aviation assets with a developed ground scheme of maneuver to conduct close air support. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by MAWTS-1 cadre, which emphasizes operational integration of the six functions of Marine Corps aviation in support of a Marine Air Ground Task Force and provides standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine Aviation Training and Readiness and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics.

A U.S. Army soldier examines the inside of an Afghan national army ammunition bunker during a visit to remove serviceable munitions left over from the Russian occupation. To prevent harm to Afghan and coalition soldiers, unserviceable ammunition was left behind for destruction at a later date.

U.S. Airmen and participants from other service branches take part in an operations dry run at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, August 18, 2022. Rigid Pulse 22-1 is a readiness culmination exercise used to validate mission essential task lists to support personnel recovery operations in a deployed environment and to refine and exercise agile combat employment capabilities.

Silhouette of U.S. Marine with rifle against the sunset.

Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division conduct Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) operations on February 21, 2024. FARP provides fuel and ordnance necessary for fixed-wing operations. Army

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (Sept. 25, 2012) Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 discuss the progress on a project. The battalion is deployed to Afghanistan to provide engineering support for theater coalition forces. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting.

Silhouette of a US Marine manning an M2 .50 caliber machine gun and a US Marine Corps UH-1N Iroquois Utility Helicopter

Silhouette of special forces operators with weapon.

Pvt. Lewis T. Washington, a 14S Air and Missile Defense Trooper with I Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, uses a Stinger Missile to bring down an Apache Helicopter during a force-on-force engagment against 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division on Fort Irwin, Calif., 23 June. The force-on-force engagment allows the Rotational Training Units a chance to experiance a near-peer adversary in a simulated training environment.

Silhouette of young soldier in military helmet against the sun

060321-A-7969G-033. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Bayji State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST

110510-N-OS574-162MEDITERRANEAN SEA (May 10, 2011) Marines participate in a small arms qualification on the flight deck aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19). Mesa Verde is deployed as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.

020130-F-1705S-014. Subject Operation/Series: BEVERLY BULLDOG Base: Osan Air Base Country: Republic Of Korea (KOR) Scene Major Command Shown: PACAF

Silhouette of a soldier on smoke filled battlefield at night, with sunset on horizon.

BaghdadIraq

A U.S. Marine with Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, sets security during a night live-fire exercise for Iron Fist 23 in Hijudai, Japan, Feb. 22, 2023. The training allowed the U.S. Marines and soldiers from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force to share tactics and work together to secure an objective. Iron Fist is an annual bilateral exercise designed to increase interoperability and strengthen the relationships between the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, the JGSDF, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

021206-F-6701P-069. Base: Vasiani Country: Georgia (The Country) (GEO)

U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, post security after disembarking an MV-22B Osprey during a long-range night assault exercise as part of Assault Support Tactics 4 (AST-4), during Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 1-23 at Twentynine Palms, California, Oct. 25, 2022. AST-4 provides the prospective WTIs the opportunity to plan, brief, and execute a night, long range battalion air assault to multiple objectives simultaneously in a medium threat environment while conducting five of six functions of Marine Aviation.

Technical Sgt.Corban Lundborg, a member of 4th Combat Camera Squadron conducts low-light refresher training at Joint Base Base Charleston, SC. During this event, airmen practiced using night-vision devices while shooting and traveling through a variety of different terrain, designed to ensure team members are capable of integrating with combat teams while providing combat camera capabilities.4th Combat Camera Squadron's mission is to provide senior Department of Defense and joint leaders with a directed imagery capability in support of strategic, operational and planning requirements during wartime operations, worldwide crises, contingencies, joint exercises and humanitarian operations.Photos by Technical Sgt. Christopher S Muncy

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Asha Burrell, a gunner assigned to Golf Battery, Battalion Landing Team 2/6, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepares for a live-fire range during exercise EFES 2022, near Izmir Turkey, June 5, 2022. EFES22 is an international Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise focused on increasing force readiness, promoting stability and prosperity in the region, and interoperability between the U.S., Turkey, and allied nations.

U.S. Army Rangers from Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, load a MH-47 Chinook helicopter for night operation training on Fort Knox, Ky., April 21, 2014. Rangers consistently train to maintain the highest level of combat readiness.

060423-A-7969G-013. Subject Operation/Series: SWIFT SWORD Base: Mara State: Salah Ah Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST AB DIVISION

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Cody Young, Lightweight Machine Gun Course instructor, left, instructs students on the proper use of a PVS-14 night vision monocular prior to shooting an M249 light machine gun a nighttime live-fire exercise at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis Military Training Reservation, Texas, Oct. 5, 2022. The two-week LMGC culminates in a three-day live-fire weapons familiarization designed to prepare students for day-one mission demands at future assignment locations where this training is not available.

110712-N-CD297-162NORFOLK (July 12, 2011) A Sailor assigned to Riverine Squadron (RIVRON) 2 participates in pre-deployment exercises. RIVRON-2 is stationed at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.

Silhouette of an army soldier with a machine gun

Silhouette of a sniper sitting on top of a hill at night during sunset.

060323-A-5745M-025. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Liberty State: Ramadi Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 10TH MTN

Studio shot of SWAT police operator with laser sights on rifle.

U.S. Soldiers with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment rest next to a canal during a patrol in Badula Qulp, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 17, 2010, during Operation Helmand Spider. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez/Released)

Silhouette of special forces operators with weapons. Silhouette of soldier

041202-M-3988H-042. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Asad State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Silhouette of two soldiers coming ashore at sunset with rifles drawn.

Silhouettes of S.W.A.T. officers holding their guns

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 2d Marines participate in a combat marksmanship range during Fuji Viper 23.1 at Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, Japan, Nov. 22, 2022. Exercise Fuji Viper exemplifies a commitment to realistic training that produces lethal, ready, and adaptable forces capable of decentralized operations across a wide range of missions. 1/2 is forward deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division as part of the Unit Deployment Program.

Silhouette of Army soldier with rifle against an orange sunset.

Reconnaissance Marines with the 24th MEU's Maritime Raid Force walk toward a UH-1Y Huey on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, prior to conducting low-light fast rope training in the Gulf of Aden, April 28, 2015.

military man cleaning a helicopter against sunlight

U.S. Army Soldier Holding His Weapon at Sunrise

FORT IRWIN, Calif. - Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command (RoK SWC) service members assault an objective under the cover of night with Green Berets from 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) during an exercise at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif. on June 29, 2022. This combined training affords opportunities for Soldiers with RoK SWC and 1st SFG (A) to exchange training tactics and techniques. These exercises continue to strengthen Alliances on the peninsula.

Soldier from Squad 4, representing U.S. Army Pacific during the Armys first-ever Best Squad Competition, completes assembly of a Sig Sauer M17 pistol, on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Oct. 4, 2022. The timed night challenge was part of the week-long Best Squad event that assessed each squad on their technical and tactical proficiency and their readiness to fight and win.

021017-F-4177H-012. Base: RAF Lakenheath State: East Anglia Country: England / Great Britain (ENG) Scene Major Command Shown: USAFE

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Roy Chandler, left, and Spc. Benjamin Grogan, assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, Alabama Army National Guard, sit on the tail of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in route to deliver hay bales to cattle that have been stranded by Hurricane Harvey near Hampshire, Texas, Sep. 3, 2017. The Department of Defense is conducting Defense Support of Civil Authorities operations in response to the effects of Hurricane Harvey. DSCA operations are part of the DoDs response capability to assist civilian responders in saving lives, relieving human suffering and mitigating property damage in response to a catastrophic disaster.

A U.S. Marine with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, sets security whileperforming dry-fire training during exercise Intrepid Maven 22.4 in the United Arab Emirates, Sept.25, 2022. Intrepid Maven 22.4 is a U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command engagement seriesdesigned for bilateral and multilateral training engagements with partner nations and Marine Corpsforces.

U.S. Marines with Light Armored Reconnaissance Detachment, Battalion Landing Team 2/6, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), engage targets during a live-fire range aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) in the Atlantic Ocean, July 17, 2022. The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd MEU, under the command and control of Task Force 61/2, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

Competitors participate in various warrior tasks 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.

041115-M-8205V-052. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. (Feb 20, 2013) Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 15 man a fighting position during their final evaluation problem before deployment. NMCB-15 is mobilized supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and is an expeditionary element of U.S. Naval Forces that act as combat engineers and support various units worldwide through national force readiness, humanitarian assistance, and building and maintaining infrastructure.

Silhouette of a soldier shooting assault rifle against a sunlit night sky.

President Bush departs the White House to speak to soldiers about his new policy in Iraq

031202-F-7234P-017. Base: Butler Range State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 501st Aviation, 1ST Armored Divi

Combat Logistics Battalion 4 Marines stand by for the sun to set before beginning a night marksmanship shoot here Nov. 13. The Okinawa-based Marines used night vision equipment to engage targets from various ranges while moving and while standing. CLB-4 traveled to Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms to participate in Enhanced Mojave Viper, a training exercise that will prepare them for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. CLB-4 falls under Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Participants in the 25th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March prepare to begin their 26.2-mile trek March 23, 2014, at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. More than 6,200 participants came to honor more than 76,000 Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from Bataan and Corregidor during World War II. The course starts on White Sands Missile Range, enters hilly terrain and finishes through sandy desert trails, with elevation ranging from 4,100 to 5,300 feet.

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, conduct a live-fire exercise with a M2A1 machine gun during the Adversary Force Exercise (AFX) at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, April 16, 2022. The purpose of AFX is to create a credible, realistic threat for the exercise forces participating in the Integrated Training Exercise to engage against during the upcoming MAGTF Warfighting Exercise in a force-on-force, unscripted wargame.

A U.S. Marine Corps expeditionary operations training group instructor with Expeditionary Operations Training Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, spots targets during an Urban Sniper Course on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, May 25, 2022. The Urban Sniper Course was led by Marines with the Expeditionary Operations Training Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, to enhance sniper skills in urban environments through precision fire, engaging targets through glass, urban tactical movement, marksmanship during the day and the night, planning, and stalking in urban terrain.

New Mexico National Guard's 720th Transportation Company while on deployment to Iraq in March 2010.

041209-M-0036Y-007. Base: Ar Ramadi State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

DF-ST-89-04072. Base: Eglin Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

011006-F-1644L-030. Complete Scene Caption: An Air Force C-17 Globemaster III loadmaster, wearing his Oxygen mask due to the high altitude and open aircraft, looks over his pre-drop checklist before dropping his cargo of Tri-Wall Aerial Delivery System (TRIADS) loaded with Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs). Air Force C-17s delivered HDRs in Support of ENDURING FREEDOM from Germany to Afghan refugees who have massed inside the borders of Afghanistan. The C-17s carried over 35,000 HDRs packaged in 84 TRIAD boxes, measuring 80 inches tall and 48 by 48 inches square, each filled with 420 HDRs. The HDRs were delivered in a first of its kind, high altitude airdrop. This is the first operational TRIAD delivery from C-17 aircraft and the first combat airdrop mission performed by a C-17. In addition to the humanitarian efforts, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM is in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), fighting terrorism abroad, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 at the New Y

U.S. Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Dalton Hughey, a platoon commander with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, communicates mission plans during Exercise Bold Quest on Fort Stewart, Georgia, Aug. 10, 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.

Silhouette of two soldiers patrolling a coastline at sunset.

030911-F-6844O-002. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Tallil Air Base State: Dhi Qar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: CENTCOM

A U.S. Soldier with 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team pulls security outside a house in Chak district, Wardak province, Afghanistan, Sept. 25, 2010.

November 7, 2012 - Soldiers watch troop movements during Green Flag-West at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dakota Dennis, a special missions aviator assigned to the 46th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, looks out an HH-60 Pave Hawk gunners window during a combat search and rescue exercise at an undisclosed location, July 5, 2022. Air Force Central Commands ERQSs are organized, trained, equipped and postured to conduct full spectrum personnel recovery to include both conventional and unconventional combat rescue operations within the Central Command theater of operations. Special warfare operators assigned throughout the combined joint operational area conduct operations in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve.

040826-M-4358R-036. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM II Base: An Najaf Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christian Montemayor, left, a fire support Marine with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, observes a Marine performing a nighttime course of fire during a Marine Corps Combat Marksmanship Program range as part of 2nd Brigade Platoons field exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 14, 2024. This CMP allows Marines to maintain weapon proficiency by engaging targets in a competitive environment with primary and secondary weapon systems. 5th ANGLICO Marines refined their marksmanship fundamentals through advanced marksmanship training which enhanced their lethality. Montemayor is a native of San Diego. Marine Corps

U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, move towards the assembly point at Sicily Drop Zone, on Fort Liberty, North Carolina, Jan. 22, 2024, after a night airborne jump that marked the start of Operation Devil Strike.1st BCT conducted Devil Strike to validate their preparedness for an upcoming rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center on Fort Johnson, Louisiana, and test their ability to deploy, fight and win anywhere in the world within 18 hours.

A U.S. Army Soldier with the 1-114th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, fires the M249 squad automatic machine weapon during a night weapons qualification on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Oct. 22, 2022. Soldiers with the 1-114th Infantry Regiment conducted day and night range qualifications during their drill weekend.

Company L squad leader and 26-year-old Tomball, Texas, native Sgt. Alex M. Piasecki provides security during a field exercise in which amphibious assault vehicles transported the company ashore from USS New Orleans off the coast. The company is one of three rifle companies in Battalion Landing Team 3/1, the ground combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The unit began a sea-based exercise Sept. 1, its second aboard amphibious ships since becoming a complete Marine air-ground task force in May. A platoon of tracked vehicles from 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Calif., reinforces the Pendleton-based 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines. The platoon provides the go-to means of maneuver for Company L.

The sun rises as Soldiers of Company F, 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, wait in the early morning for two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to pick them and bring them to a nearby town to conduct a patrol, Sept. 18

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Task Force Red Dragon, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), conduct an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise (EDRE) at CSL Manda Bay, Kenya, June 17, 2022. During the EDRE, the East Africa Response Force (EARF) forward deployed from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to Manda Bay to exercise its capability to provide security augmentation while Soldiers with the EARF and CJTF-HOA security forces conducted presence patrols with Kenya Defense Forces and responded to multiple injects that included base defense drills.

Paratroopers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division engage enemy combatants during the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) rotation on Fort Polk, Louisiana, Nov. 6, 2022. JRTC Rotation 23-01 serves to enhance brigade and supporting unit's deployment readiness.

Spc. John Lombardo, left, and Spc. Christopher Keefe pull security on a hilltop while mechanics look over a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle, or MRAP, after the brakes ignited during a return mission from Shinkay, Afghanistan, Jan. 6. Specialists Lombardo and Keefe are assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul, Qalat, Afghanistan.

030218-M-3692W-173. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: Echo Co

A Marine of the Security Force Company patrols through smoke with an M-16A2 assault rifle during training in guarding the special weapons area of the submarine base. Base: Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay State: Georgia(GA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The members of a U.S. Marine Corps tank crew are silhouetted against the flames of an oil well set ablaze by Iraqi forces retreating from Kuwait as a result of Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Kuwait (KWT)

Navy special forces do military training

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Dec. 28, 2012) Quartermaster 3rd Class Albert Zaloga, from San Diego, uses a statometer aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) before a replenishment-at-sea. Mobile Bay is deployed with the John C. Stennis Strike Group to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Anthony Cespedes, a squad leader with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, assesses the situation during Exercise Bold Quest on Fort Stewart, Georgia, Aug. 9, 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.

U.S. Army Spc. Carlos Tapia with Alpha Troop, Regimental Support Squadron, Combined Force Dragoon, checks a crew system equipped with a Browning M2 50. caliber machine gun before convoy operations July 30, 2013, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Alpha Troop provided security during a convoy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Illumination rounds light the way for forward observers to adjust artillery and mortar fire during a night portion of a four-day, live-fire exercise following the conclusion of Talisman Saber 13 in Townshend Island, Queensland, Australia, Aug 2. The live-fire exercise included the coordination of fire-support assets from the 31st MEU; the USS Chung-Hoon, the HMAS Perth III, and the Australian Army. The exercise provided effective and intense training to ensure U.S. and Australian forces are capable, interoperable, deployable on short notice and combat ready. The 31st MEU is the Marine Corps' force in readiness and the only continuously forward-deployed MEU.

KirkukIraq

U.S. Army Soldiers from Bravo Company, 1st Cavalry Division, 12th Infantry Regiment rest before a mission at the Iraqi police station in Buhriz, Iraq, Feb. 15, 2007.

Royal Thai Marines, one manning a Bofors 40mm/60-caliber gun, are silhouetted atop the gun housing on the bow of a Thai tank landing ship during the joint Thai/U.S. combined exercise Thalay Thai '89. Subject Operation/Series: THALAY THAI '89 Country: Thailand (THA)

U.S. Marine mortarmen with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, conduct a fire mission during a field exercise at Range 800 on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Oct. 20, 2022. The FEX was designed to improve the battalions combat and contingency capabilities in preparation for future deployments.

U.S. Soldiers with Bear Troop, 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment fortify an Afghan Highway Police checkpoint in Robat, Afghanistan, March 19, 2010, by placing razor wire around the perimeter. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II/Released)

An F-16C Fighting Falcon from the 177th Fighter Wing taxis for takeoff prior to a night sortie at the Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, N.J., during exercise Dastardly Devil 16-1. The exercise is designed to test the New Jersey Air National Guard wing's operational readiness in a deployed environment.

030404-F-9528H-016. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Unknown

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force conducted its semi-annual Realistic Urban Training Exercise at an empty facility in Guam. The Marine force parachuted into local urban environments, setting up reconnaissance and surveillance for the main raid on an empty facility during the night. The purpose for conducting such an exercise in a different country is to evaluate the MRF's long-range raid capabilities and to gain experience operating in a foreign environment.

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