Soldiers in Combat Silhouettes

Striking silhouettes of soldiers in combat gear, set against sunset backgrounds, portraying themes of vigilance and camaraderie.

Silhouette of a special forces soldier with rifle during a river raid in the jungle.

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.

East German policemen stand atop a section of the Berlin Wall at sunset, circa 1980s

Soviet paratrooper in Afghanistan during the Soviet Afghan War. Soviet paratrooper in Afghanistan

Soldiers against a sunset.

Backlit contour silhouette of Army sniper with big rifle against black background.

KHOST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army mortar men from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment, Indiana National Guard, provide 120mm mortar fire support to Soldiers from Company D, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, out of Fort Richardson, Ala, at Afghan Combat Outpost Chergotah located in the Terezayi district of Khost province, Afghanistan, Dec. 4.

DN-ST-90-02131. Base: Coco Solo State: Canal Zone Country: Panama (PAN)

Forest guard armed with rifle, looking out over Brahmaputra River, Kaziranga N.P., Assam, India, January

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Brett D. Hankins, a crew chief with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa, observes out the back of An MV-22B Osprey as it takes-off from the flight deck of the French amphibious assault ship BPC Dixmude, Gulf of Cadiz, Spain, May. 2, 2016. SPMAGTF-CR-AF Marines landed aboard the BPC Dixmude to further enhance bi-lateral cooperation and interoperability between the two militaries.

A Czech Special Forces member conducts small-arms proficiency training during Emerald Warrior 22.1 at Eglin Range, Florida, May 5, 2022. U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operators with the 24th Special Operations Wing, pararescuemen with the 38th Rescue Squadron pararescuemen and U.S. Army Special Forces members integrated with and executed special operations during the exercise, sharpening U.S. forces abilities to operate around the globe.

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), train members of the Armed Forces of Djibouti (FAD), Bataillon dintervention rapide (BIR), on Glock 19 handling procedures, Djibouti, April 7, 2022. The SFAB trains and advises foreign security forces to improve partner capabilities and facilitate achievement of U.S. strategic objectives.

Military Photographer of the Year Winner 1997 Title: Dust Storm Category: Pictorial Place: Honorable Mention Exact Date Shot Unknown Caption: SGT. Edward Crankink walks through a blast of dust on a drop zone at Fort Bragg N.C. Base: Fort Bragg State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Charles Stokes, a squad leader with 2nd Platoon, Comanche Company, from Cabot, Ark., on patrol in a local village near Combat Outpost Terezayi, April 10. Comanche Company is part of the 1st Bn. (Airborne), 501st Infantry, Task Force Blue Geronimo.

A group of Afghan Commandos, with 3rd Commando Kandak, and U.S. Special Forces Soldiers, with Special Operations Task Force - South, wait to board a CH-47 Chinook helicopter before an operation to rid insurgents from PanjwaÕi District, Oct. 15, 2010, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

Rct. Joseph Cantella with Alpha Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, poses for a photo during Basic Warrior Training at Paige Field on Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., Aug 29, 2022. BWT is designed to teach the importance of teamwork, working under stress and how to perform well while utilizing small unit leadership.

Crew members aboard USCGC Bear (WMEC 901) fake out line for the tow of a disabled fishing vessel, Sep. 16, 2022. The Bear was responding to a search-and-rescue case.

110809-N-ZZ999-660 PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 9, 2011) An E-2C Hawkeye assigned to the Golden Hawks of Airborne Early-Warning Squadron (VAW) 112 launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled western Pacific Ocean and Arabian Gulf deployment.

U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operators assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida, perform a presence patrol during exercise Emerald Warrior 22.1 in Fort Knox, Kentucky, May 11, 2022. Emerald Warrior is the largest joint special operations exercise involving U.S. Special Operations Command forces training for response to various threats above and below the threshold of armed conflict.

050625-A-9039F-048. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Orgun-E State: Paktika Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

During the 2009 U.S. Army Reserve Command Best Warrior Competitions night-fire qualification phase held July 15, a range safety holds up a green flashlight to let the range control know the range is safe. The week-long competition brought 28 Soldiers and non-commissioned officers from Guam to New Hampshire to Fort McCoy to determine the best of the Army Reserve. The Army Reserve winners will then compete in the Department of the Army competition held later this year at Fort Lee, Va.

Lt. Andrew Dillard, from Orlando, Fla., prepares to launch an F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Abraham Lincoln is underway conducting routine operations in U.S. 3rd Fleet.

Silhouette of special forces operator.

111223-N-DR144-097 PACIFIC OCEAN (Dec. 23, 2011) Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Scott Doty supervises as Sailors assigned to Air Department's V-3 Division position aircraft in the hangar bay aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are underway on a western Pacific deployment.

U.S. Marines and sailors board USS Portland (LPD-27) during 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit Loading Exercise on May 12, 2022. The purpose of this exercise is to provide information of the supportability of ACVs aboard a LPD-Class ship throughout a six-month deployment.

a man standing on top of a hill looking out

060109-N-1416P-007. Base: USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

060113-A-7359K-139. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fob Mchenry State: Hawijah Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Airmen from the 386th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron Personnel Support for Contingency Operations team escort a group of Airmen inprocessing at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, July 16, 2022. Hundreds of military personnel are inprocessed by the 386th EFSS PERSCO team each month, where they maintain accountability for each and every military member on the installation.

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Sam Hinegardner, 16th Airlift Squadron pilot, flies a C-17 Globemaster III over Charleston, South Carolina during a joint training exercise with Marines from 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, Oct. 18, 2022. During the exercise, Airmen and Marines on-loaded and off-loaded a Humvee and two High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARs, onto an aircraft in a simulated deployed environment.

An F/A-18D Hornet assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 115 taxis to the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, June 7, 2022. VMFA-115 supports the Marine Air-Ground Task Force commander by providing supporting arms coordination, conducting multi-sensor imagery reconnaissance, and destroying surface targets and enemy aircraft, day or night, under all weather conditions, during expeditionary, joint, or combined operations. VMFA-115 is a subordinate unit of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, the aviation combat element of II Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Servante R. Coba)

A group of Afghan Commandos, with 3rd Commando Kandak, and U.S. Special Forces Soldiers, with Special Operations Task Force - South, wait to board a CH-47 Chinook helicopter before an operation to rid insurgents from PanjwaÕi District, Oct. 15, 2010, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan

East German policemen stand atop a section of the Berlin Wall at sunset..

1st Sgt. Jon A. Martin, Company D, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (Assault), stands atop a UH-60 Black Hawk before its pulled into the belly of an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. The Black Hawk was the very last of the 3-158 aircraft to be loaded before the units redeployment to Germany.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Dustin J. Howell with Combined Anti-Armor Team (CAAT), Weapons Company, 2D Battalion, 9th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 5 patrols through a poppy field during a satellite patrol in Marjah, Afghanistan, April 26, 2012. The CAAT took part in a fifteen-day operation to erect Patrol Base Sledgehammer Five and disrupt insurgent activity in the area.

Military working dog handler, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Justin Pickens of the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, performs an evening detection patrol with his MWD around a building, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, on AUG 10, 2022. Pickens has worked with five different MWDs in his career and aspires to become a trainer someday.

Members of the 501st Combat Support Wing participate in a 5K run/walk at RAF Croughton, England, Jan. 11, 2024. During the 5K, personnel discussed the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all others who sought essential American liberties during the civil rights movement.

Black silhouette of soldier at night.

USA, Oregon, Harney County, Cowboys getting ready for work in doorway and backlit by morning sunlight.

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Taylor Auen, a Security Forces Airman from the 171 Air Refueling Wing, Coraopolis, Penn., provides aircraft security on the flightline during Agile Rage 22 at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Mich., June 8, 2022. Agile Rage 22 is a National Guard Bureau-led exercise that provides realistic training opportunities, mimicking current and future combat environments dictated by the National Defense Strategy.

A U.S. Marine with India Company, 3d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Ground Combat Element, Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) 22, walks through the training area before conducting a platoon live-fire attack during exercise Darrandarra 22, at Mount Bundey Training Area, NT, Australia, June 10, 2022. Exercise Darrandarra 22 increases MRF-D 22s readiness to respond to realistic crises throughout the range of military operations within the region.

U.S. Soldiers, assigned to the 1-21st Infantry Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, conduct a battalion air assault exercise for a platoon situational training exercise (STX), on Oahu, Hawaii, May 24, 2022. The STX emphasized aspects of loading and unloading from aircraft then utilizing small team strategies to reach a destination in low visibility.

NAVAL BASE AMAPALA, Honduras - Partner Forces jump from a Chinook into the Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras for the Fuerzas Comando competition June 20, 2022, in Naval Base Amapala, Honduras. Fuerzas Comando (FC) is a Foreign Military Interaction exercise designed to enhance multinational and regional cooperation, mutual trust and confidence and improve the training, readiness, interoperability, and capability of regional Special Operations Forces (SOF).

Special forces soldier warming his hands over a fire in a ruined building.

Air Assault candidates rappel off the rappel towers on Camp Buehring, Kuwait, February 20, 2024. After successfully rappeling from the towers, candidates will rappel out of rotary wing aircraft. Army

Soldiers train to fight,win and survive in a dense urban environment at Fort Hood's underground training facility Oct. 18. As directed by Gen. Mark A. Milley, this training gives Soldiers an opportunity to learn a different fighting environment.

A Secret Service agent stands on the tarmac waiting for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to arrive by motorcade at Joint Base Andrews, Md. prior to departure en route to New Delhi, India, Jan. 24, 2015.

PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 15, 2022) Sailors stand by in the hangar bay aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200) approaches to commence a replenishment-at-sea. Abraham Lincoln Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability through alliances and partnerships while serving as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Setting sun behind the observation post.

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

Soldiers walk across Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France, June 1, 2022. Omaha Beach was one of the primary battle zones of D-Day invasions during the Battle of Normandy, beginning June 6, 1944.

Kentucky U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Task Force Red Dragon, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), conduct squad live-fire exercise in Djibouti at Arta range complex, Djibouti, June 8, 2022. CJTF-HOA, operating from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, is a dynamic operational headquarters, supporting missions to counter violent extremist organizations, responding to crises and enhancing stability in East Africa.

Strong blur, anonymous military men in uniform on streets of Europe

Providers assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division discuss and prepare for convoy on Fort Bragg, NC, March 28, 2022. The Field Training Exercise ensures Paratroopers stand ready to fight, win, and meet the 18 hour deployment standard.

hunter against a sunset

Coast Guard Firefighter Wearing Mask

army, national service and people concept - young soldier or ranger wearing military uniform and jungle hat over sky background. young soldier in military uniform over sky

A statue is silhouetted by the setting sun as the motorcade carrying U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry makes its way back to Embassy Baghdad at the conclusion of a series of meetings in Iraq with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other national leaders on June 23, 2014.

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.

Airmen with multiple Air National Guard security forces units learn squad tactics pulling an ahkio sled Jan. 18, 2023, as part of a 16-day Cold-Weather Operations Course led by the Air Force at Fort McCoy, Wis. More than 50 Airmen were participating in the training from across the Air Force. Besides learning about use of snowshoes and moving as a squad over terrain pulling an ahkio sled in a cold-weather environment, the Airmen also learned about cold-weather shelters, survival techniques, cold-weather uniform wear, and more. Fort McCoy has a long history of supporting cold-weather training. Eighty years prior to this training, in January 1943, the installation hosted winter training for the Army's 76th Division prior to the Division deploying to Europe to fight in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

France, Brittany, Coetquidan, Guer on 2021-09-23. Report on the training of the Inter-Arms Military School in Saint-Cyr Coetquidan in Morbihan. The EMIA recruits its students from among active non-commissioned officers and non-commissioned soldiers selected by competition. The cadets follow a two-year training course. At the end of the first year, they are appointed to the rank of second lieutenant, then lieutenant at the end of the second year. Photograph by Martin Bertrand. France, Bretagne, Coetquidan, Guer le 2021-09-23. Reportage sur la formation de l' Ecole militaire interarmes à Saint-Cyr Coetquidan dans le Morbihan. L'EMIA recrute ses eleves parmi les sous-officiers d'active et les militaires du rang selectionnes par concours. Les eleves-officiers suivent une formation de deux ans. A l'issue de la première annee, ils sont nommés au grade de sous-lieutenant, puis de lieutenant a la fin de la seconde annee. Photographie de Martin Bertrand.

040516-F-6911G-001. Base: Nellis Air Force Base State: Nevada (NV) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: ACC

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, await permission to shoot at targets during the table two course of fire at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. March 28, 2023. All recruits participated in the table two rifle qualification course during the third phase of recruit training.

Low angle portrait of soldiers standing in circle, aiming

Airmen with multiple Air National Guard security forces units learn squad tactics pulling an ahkio sled Jan. 19, 2023, as part of a 16-day Cold-Weather Operations Course led by the Air Force at Fort McCoy, Wis. More than 50 Airmen were participating in the training from across the Air Force. Besides learning about use of snowshoes and moving as a squad over terrain pulling an ahkio sled in a cold-weather environment, the Airmen also learned about cold-weather shelters, survival techniques, cold-weather uniform wear, and more. Fort McCoy has a long history of supporting cold-weather training. Eighty years prior to this training, in January 1943, the installation hosted winter training for the Army's 76th Division prior to the Division deploying to Europe to fight in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

Terrorist brandishing guns over city skyline

Kuwaiti paratroopers sit aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III prior to a "friendship jump" with multi-national forces during Exercise Bright Star on October 15, 2009. The C-17 crew is from the 8th Airlif Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash. Bright Star is a joint international military airdrop exercise whose purpose is to strengthen and enhance the cohesiveness of each country's participating forces. This year's participants include the United States, Egypt, Kuwait, Pakistan, Germany, and Jordan.

Airmen with multiple Air National Guard security forces units learn squad tactics pulling an ahkio sled Jan. 19, 2023, as part of a 16-day Cold-Weather Operations Course led by the Air Force at Fort McCoy, Wis. More than 50 Airmen are participating in the training from across the Air Force. Besides learning about use of snowshoes and moving as a squad over terrain pulling an ahkio sled in a cold-weather environment, the Airmen also learned about cold-weather shelters, survival techniques, cold-weather uniform wear, and more. Fort McCoy has a long history of supporting cold-weather training. Eighty years prior to this training, in January 1943, the installation hosted winter training for the Army's 76th Division prior to the Division deploying to Europe to fight in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

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