Silhouettes in Military Context

Dramatic silhouettes of soldiers and military activities set against sunset backdrops, conveying themes of endurance and operational readiness.

Soldiers watch the sunrise in the early morning 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 28 partner nations from around the world.

M109 Paladin crew wait between fire missions during Western Strike 22, June 11, 2022 at Orchard Combat Training Center. Western Strike 22 is an eXportable Combat Training Capabilities exercise led by the 65th Field Artillery Brigade, Utah National Guard, that provides National Guard Soldiers immersed training similar to a combat training center and aims to increase participating unit's readiness and lethality.

The sun sets Sept. 10, 2022, at Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport at Fort McCoy, Wis. Fort McCoys motto is to be the Total Force Training Center. Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984. Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching ftmccoy, and on Twitter by searching usagmccoy.

U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, conduct airborne operation after exiting a U.S. Air Force 86th Air Wing C-130 Hercules aircraft at Juliet Drop Zone, Pordenone, Italy, Oct. 20, 2022. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting ready forces anywhere in the U.S. European, Africa or Central Commands' areas of responsibility.

An Ohio Army National Guard Soldier participates in a ruck march during the 73rd Troop Commands Best Warrior Competition at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center in Ravenna, Ohio, Nov. 5, 2022. The 73rd TC's best Soldiers and noncommissioned officers conducted an Army Combat Fitness Test, land navigation, stress shoot, ruck march and a Soldier of the quarter board.

U.S. Marines begin a patrol during Reconnaissance Certification Exercise at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Jan 17, 2024. RCERT is designed to thoroughly assess Marines' proficiency in ground reconnaissance capabilities in a demanding environment while reinforcing their mental and physical endurance. The Marines are with 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Splashdown. Support teams work around the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev aboard in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, Monday, Sept. 4,2023. Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev are returning after nearly six-months in space as part of Expedition 69 aboard the International Space Station.

Aviation Boatswian's Mate (Euipment) AIRMAN Recruit Joe Zielonski grinds a lamp housing unit in the forward starboard catwalk on board USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). TRUMAN is on station in the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH (OSW), the mission that enforces the coalition imposed southern "no-fly zone" over Iraq. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH Base: USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, prepare combat rubber raiding crafts at Kin Blue Beach Training Area, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 22, 2022. Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force Expeditionary Operations Training Group Amphibious Raids Branch designed a littoral maneuver training package for 1st Bn., 2nd Marines, to prepare for future operations in littoral environments. 1st Bn., 2nd Marines, is forward deployed to III MEF under the unit deployment program.

The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, known as the Thunderbirds, performed for Aviation Nation Nov. 6, 2022, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The Thunderbirds have been based out of Nellis since 1955.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Pankelan at Krawrang. Report to Pankelan. Isolated outpost of 1-4-8-regiment infantry. Patrol removes a hill. Panorama of landscape. March 12, 1948. Indonesia, Krowang, Dutch East Indies

The sun sets over South Post on Sept. 10, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Fort McCoys motto is to be the Total Force Training Center. Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984. Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching ftmccoy, and on Twitter by searching usagmccoy.

Gunnery Sgt. John M. Warrenski attacks the obstacle course during the 2nd annual super squadron competition at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma Oct. 26. The competition, hosted by MCAS Futenma leadership, was open to all squadrons with Marine Aircraft Group 36 and Marine Air Control Group 18 as they competed to be crowned the super squadron. Warrenski is an aircraft mechanic with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 4, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, fire M16A4 service rifles during a table three through six range on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 7, 2024. The range was part of a battalion field exercise that rehearsed crucial logistical operations executed within an Alert Contingency Air-Ground Task Force, aimed at enhancing the capabilities and readiness of CLB-4. Marine Corps

Tribute in lights to 184 killed at the Pentagon

July 4th celebration in and around Main Interior, with Secretary Dirk Kempthorne among the senior officials on hand

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.

Medyka, Russian invasion of Ukraine. Entry of refugees from Ukraine through the Medyka border check point.

At the end of a long first day, Camp Workhorse begins to take shape, with 30 living and working tents built by the US Marine Corps (USMC) members from Marine Wing Support Squadron 271 (MWSS-271). Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Workhorse Country: Kuwait (KWT)

A CV-22 Osprey assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron flies over Lake Ogawara during helocast training at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Aug. 10, 2022. The Osprey combines the vertical takeoff, landing and hover capabilities of a helicopter with the long-range, fuel efficiency and speed characteristics of a turboprop aircraft.

Paratroopers across the 82nd Airborne Division execute the 12 mile road march as part of one of the last events in the road to earning their E3B on Fort Bragg, NC, April 8, 2023. 371 Paratroopers and Soldiers across multiple units and locations successfully completed E3B.

The sun sets July 13, 2022, at Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport at Fort McCoy, Wis. Fort McCoys motto is to be the Total Force Training Center. Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984. Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching ftmccoy, and on Twitter by searching usagmccoy.

The sun sets over South Post on Sept. 10, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Fort McCoys motto is to be the Total Force Training Center. Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984. Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching ftmccoy, and on Twitter by searching usagmccoy.

001031-N-4790M-097. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH 2000 Base: Uss Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)

Marines serving with I Marine Expeditionary Force and sailors serving aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard man the rails aboard the ship, Oct. 5, 2011, while the vessel passes Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay. The service members aboard USS Bonhomme Richard ported in San Francisco for Fleet Week, an annual event for the city and nearby communities, to demonstrate the Navy and Marine Corps as an asset for the Bay Area in response to a sudden crisis.

A soldier watches from an observation tower at the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) South Camp as the sun rises over the Red Sea. Base: Sharm El Sheikh Country: Egypt (EGY)

110101-N-7981E-064 PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 1, 2011) Sailors ring in the new year at midnight with a qualification fire of pencil flares in the first time zone west of the International Date Line aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are on a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

U.S. Marines assigned to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VMAQ) 2, participate in a foreign object debris walk aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Dec. 2, 2015. The Marines of VMAQ-2 conducted corrective and preventative maintenance in preparation for the Aviation Logistics Management Advisor Team inspection by the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Fireworks light up the sky over Naval Submarine Base New London during an Independence Day celebration. Base: Naval Submarine Base, Groton State: Connecticut (CT) Country: United States Of America (USA)

220925-N-VI910-1080 PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 25, 2022) Aviation Boatswains Mate (Equipment) 2nd Class Kodi Valore, from Ocean Springs, Miss., signals an F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to the Flying Eagles of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122, as it launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Abraham Lincoln is underway conducting routine operations in U.S. 3rd Fleet.

061206-N-5248R-010. Base: USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)

Monument of soviet soldier in Murmansk, Russia

040322-F-1740G-002. Base: Andersen Air Base State: Guam (GU) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A U.S. Marine with the Combat Logistics Battalion 15, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, cleans up a training area aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., March 6, 2015. The Marines made drinking water by running ocean water through a tactical water purification system during Amphibious Squadron/Expeditionary Unit Integration Training (PMINT).

US Air Force Security personnel mounted on horseback patrol along the seacoast of the 98,000-acre area of Californias Vandenberg AFB. The setting sun silhouettes the image. From AIRMAN Magazine, July 2000 article "From Airhorse to Spacehorse.". US Air Force Security personnel mounted on horseback patrol along the seacoast of the 98,000-acre area of CaliforniaÕs Vandenberg AFB. The setting sun silhouettes the image. From Airman Magazine, July 2000 article "From Airhorse to Spacehorse."

Paratroopers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division jump onto Geronimo Drop Zone on Fort Polk, L.A., Nov. 2, 2022. The Joint Readiness Training Center rotation serves to enhance brigade and supporting unit's deployment readiness.

U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph Voss (left) and Pfc. Shamar Cerant lead the ruck march bout of the USAG Benelux Best Warrior Competition, on Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 28, 2023. Voss was the winning Soldier and will move on to compete at IMCOM-E level next.

July 4th celebration in and around Main Interior, with Secretary Dirk Kempthorne among the senior officials on hand

Tribute in lights to 184 killed at the Pentagon

Second World War memorial, Uredd, Norway, Scandinavia, Europe

040303-M-3980Y-010. Subject Operation/Series: BALIKATAN 2004 Base: Crow Valley Country: Philippines (PHL)

Crewmen are silhouetted by the sunset as they stand on the fantail of the guided missile cruiser USS BELKNAP (CG 26), flagship of the United States Sixth Fleet. The ship is in port in preparation for the summit meeting between President George H.W. Bush and Soviet Chairman Mikhail Gorbachev to be held on December 2-3. Base: Marsaxlokk Bay Country: Malta (MLT)

030915-F-9072P-002. Base: RAF Feltwell State: Suffolk Country: United Kingdom (GBR) Scene Major Command Shown: USAFE

Soldiers assigned to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) joint peacekeeping mission in Egypt participate in a 28-mile 'March for the Fallen,' at South Camp, Sinai Peninsula, Sept. 24, 2022.

A UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter from the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation Regiment, Connecticut Army National Guard, flies over Westover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, Massachusetts, May 25, 2022. Aviators from the 142nd traveled to Westover Air Reserve Base, or Westover ARB, to conduct aerial firefighting training with the Westover Air Reserve Base Fire Department.

Georgia Air National Guardsmen from the 165th Security Forces Squadron, Georgia National Guard, participate in an air base ground defense field training exercise July 15, 2022 at the 165th Airlift Wing in Savannah, Georgia. The defenders mission during the field training was to deploy into a hostile environment where they must foot patrol into an area and then seize, clear and protect the area and its assets from opposing forces. Over the duration of the 4-day exercise, teams were tasked with missions outside the wire to clear the area of hostile forces that had the intent of disrupting the Air Force mission to which they were successful.

Soldiers assigned to 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, stand in formation before a brigade 5K running competition at Fort Carson, Colo., April 22, 2022. The Brigade hosted the competition as a morale event to highlight the best runners in the organization. U.S. Army photo by Maj. Jason Elmore.

U.S. Marine Corps veterans who served with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (V3/5), 1st Marine Division, rest atop 1st Sgts Hill as part of a memorial hike to honor V3/5 Marines who were lost during Operation Iraqi Freedom at Camp San Mateo, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, August 19, 2022. Marine veterans who served with V3/5 reunited with their old squadmates to construct a memorial for their fallen brothers who were killed in action. The hike was conducted as part of a retirement for Maj. Jacob Fernandez, the outgoing assistant operations officer for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec. 13, 2017) -- USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) transits the Atlantic Ocean at night. Ford is underway conducting test and evaluation operations.

Russian Search and Rescue force vehicles and helicopter arrive within seconds of the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft landing with Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka, Flight Engineer Michael Barratt, and spaceflight participant Guy Laliberté near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. Padalka and Barratt are returning from six months onboard the International Space Station, along with Laliberté who arrived at the station on Oct. 2 with Expedition 21 Flight Engineers Jeff Williams and Maxim Suraev aboard the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft.

Black rubber boots, Gotland, Sweden.

Inter-American Defense College Staff, Faculty and Students tour Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pa., Sept. 23, 2022. The Park protects and interprets the landscape of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. There are 43,000 American Civil War artifacts that are displayed in the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center. The Visit It is an academic field study that is part of the master's program offered by the college.

Safety personnel assigned to the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) ensure the target area is cleared safe prior to bomblet dispersion evaluation on the NTTR, Nevada, Sept. 13, 2022. The NTTR provides the warfighter a flexible, realistic and multidimensional battlespace to conduct testing tactics development and advanced training in support of U.S. national interests.

U.S. Marines with Headquarters Battalion, 3d Marine Division conduct a six-mile conditioning hike aboard Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, July 1 2022. Headquarters Battalion routinely completes conditioning hikes to ensure all Marines maintain physical fitness and readiness.

An Airman assigned to the 2nd Air Support Operations Squadron runs with the Tactical Air Control Party flag throughout the night at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, June 15-16, 2022. During the event, 160 Airmen from across 20 units ran to fundraise a total of $3,100.

980223-F-4116M-012. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH 1998 Base: Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base State: Al Ahmadi Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: ACC

YOKOSUKA, Japan (Oct. 16, 2022) - Sailors and local Japanese community members watch the Yokosuka Kaikoku Fireworks Festival hosted by the city of Yokosuka in conjunction with the 44th annual Friendship Day celebration held onboard Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY). For the first time in three years, CFAY held an open base event to highlight the friendship between the local Japanese community and the U.S. Navy. For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.

Secretary Dirk Kempthorne joining National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and other officials for tours, reception at the Arlington House-Robert E. Lee Memorial, Arlington, Virginia

Great War battle site at Vimy Ridge, France. The area encompasses Commonwealth graves, historical remains and a memorial and interpretation centre.

Capt. Jonathan McLeroy (left), commander of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team "Rakkasans," 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and Spc. Jacob Delblene (right), CH-47 crew chief with 3rd Battalion (General Support), 10th Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (LI), complete their helocast mission at West Point, Ny., on June 24, 2022. Helocasting is an airborne technique used by light infantry units to insert into a military area of operations.(U.S. Army video by Spc. Kelvin Johnson Jr. 40th Public Affairs Detachment)

220702-N-IE405-1168 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY NAPLES, Italy (July 2, 2022) Fireworks light up the sky above Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples during Festa Americana, an event celebrating the American Independence Day, at NSA Naples in Gricignano di Aversa, Italy, July 2, 2020. NSA Naples is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed, when they are needed to ensure security and stability in the European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility.

A target site is illuminated from an airstrike on a range near Pocek, Slovenia, May 12, 2022. Joint terminal attack controllers from U.S.10th Special Forces Group along with Slovenian and Croatian SOF worked together on ground to pinpoint targets and communicate with an aircraft overhead for munition drops. Exercise Trojan Footprint is the premier special operations forces exercise in Europe that focuses on fortifying military readiness, cultivating trust and developing lasting relationships which promote peace and stability throughout Europe.

Namibia, Erongo Region, Swakopmund. Regimental badge of the Second Durban Light Infantry laid out by the South African soldiers who were assigned to patrol the railway line. They were part of South African Expedition Forces under a command of general Louis Botha. (MR).

A U.S. Air Force Airman assigned to the 79th Fighter Generation Squadron performs pre-flight checks at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., July 19, 2022. The 79th Fighter Squadron and 79th FGS deployed to project combat air power and help stabilize the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

THULE AIR BASE, Greenland - U.S. Air Force Airmen and U.S. Space Force Guardians wait by a fire before submerging into the Arctic Ocean during the annual Polar Plunge at Thule Air Base, Greenland, Aug. 6, 2022. The traditional plunge into North Star Bay is held each summer when the temperature is just warm enough to prevent the bay from freezing over.

CHIEF Photographer's Mate Robert Sasek prepares to videotape members of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 (NMCB-1) drilling for water near Bale Dogle during the multinational relief effort OPERATION RESTORE HOPE. The well is intended to supply in old Soviet air base being used by U.S. and Moroccan personnel participating in the operation. Subject Operation/Series: RESTORE HOPE Country: Somalia (SOM)

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

Historical re-enactment Circuit of Victory, Via Garibaldi street, Macerata, Marche, Italy, Europe

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