Soldiers in Combat Zones

Images portray soldiers in various combat scenarios, providing security and engaging in patrols within diverse terrains in conflict zones.

Team of United States airborne infantry men in camo uniforms.

A Marine with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment provides security from a rooftop while out on patrol, in Marjah, Afghanistan, Feb. 17. Several days after coalition forces launched an assault against inurgents taking refuge in the city, the fighting continues to manifest in sporadic outbursts.

020716-A-5790R-001. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Kabul Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

041109-M-2789C-123. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. soldier going through the desert during the military operation.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Miles Perez and Sgt. Jefferey Shaw, both from 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, locate enemy movement in the Kunar province of Afghanistan March 20, 2008.

U.S. Army Rangers in Afghanistan combat scene.

030315-M-5753Q-005. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Ripper Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 7th Marines

Marines with Company C, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, provide suppressive fire for their fellow Marines to rush toward Combat Center Range 210, Jan. 20, as part of the battalions Enhanced Mojave Viper predeployment training. The battalion is slated to deploy to Afghanistan later this year.

U.S. Marine Corps Andrew Hill, a combat engineer with Lima Company, 3d Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, sets up a bangalore torpedo while conducting Range 400 as a part of Integrated Training Exercise (ITX) 3-22 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, April 6, 2022. ITX is a month-long training evolution comprised of multiple ranges to refine combined arms maneuver in offensive and defensive combat operations.

Team of United States airborne infantry men in camo uniforms.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GERONIMO, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Sgt. Jason T. Mathews, a member of Embedded Partnering Team 1-1-215, cleans the bore of an Afghanistan National Army soldier’s rifle at Range Juarez near Forward Operating Base Geronimo May 25. Mathews, from Roberta, Ga., has been working with the 1st Kandak for two months and said he enjoys it. “The work is challenging but rewarding,” he said. “Hopefully the ANA will be able to take over their own battle space when we leave and they’ll make Helmand a better place.”

U.S. Soldiers conduct a cordon and search with Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Brigade, 4th Iraq Army Division in Bayji, Iraq, June 17, 2008.

Pfc. Tyler Shumate, an infantryman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, provides security from the rear hatch of his Stryker vehicle during Operation Buffalo Thunder II in the Shorabak district, Afghanistan, June 30, 2012. Shumate is from Wixom, Mich.

U.S. Marine prepares a high-explosive fragmentation round for the RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher in a wadi near Kunduz, Afghanistan.

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, conduct a live-fire exercise with a MK19 grenade launcher 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.

Soldier firing with M16A2 machine gun during Operation Khanjar, Iraq

United States Marine aims an M-16 rifle during a combat operation in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, wide view

Images taken of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team running through STX lanes for their Full Specturm Training Event being held at Hohenfels Germany. US Army Europe Public Affairs

Lance Cpl. Trevor Nash, a mortarman with 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, patrols through Marjah, Afghanistan, March 27, 2010. Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, have partnered with and mentored ANA soldiers through training, joint patrolling and counterinsurgency operations. Nash, 25, is from Raleigh, N.C. Orr, 20, is from New Ulm, Minn.

051230-A-5745M-043. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Liberty State: Shakaria Village Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST ABN DIV

060406-A-7969G-011. Base: Bayji State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST AB DIVISION

A U.S. Marine aims a Designated Marksman Rifle during a combat operation in Afghanistan's Helmand Province

Spc. Matthew W. Brew, from Gainesville, Ga., and Spc Kirk Calabrese from Summerville, Ga., both with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment drag a sandbag-filled litter simulating a casualty during the Top Tomahawk competition March 29 at Forward Operating Base Spin Boldak, Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Specialist Thomas Doss and his team from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment perform Military Operations Urban Terrain training during a training exercise under the Joint Task Force East in the Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria on September 3, 2009.

Sgt. Mathew Roell, a PMT Marine originally from Regimental Combat Team 3 personal security detail and an Indianapolis, In., native; Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Tucker, corpsman with the PMT and Arrington Park, N.J., native, and Cpl. Joshua Johnston, a PMT Marine, Rayne, La., post security on the outside of a compound wall while waiting for it to be cleared Sept. 7, 2009, here.

Sgt. Garrett Robinson, infantryman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, fires at targets during an M4 carbine qualifying range June 10 at Fort Carson, Colorado. Mountain Warriors maintain readiness and lethality by familiarizing and training on their assigned weapons systems.

KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Sgt Michael Magnuson (Right) of Northampton, Mass. and U.S. Army Sgt. David Sterin (Left) of Boulder, Colo., members of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team security force, lead members of the PRT through the Shur Andam Industrial Park in Kandahar City June 11. The PRT met with business leaders to assess the use of and need for electricity in the area. The PRT works with government and civic leaders at the district and provincial levels to improve infrastructure capacity in the province.

Squad of soldiers in the desert during the military operation.

Cpl. Charles Kristel, a Schenectady, N.Y., native and team leader with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, uses the scope on his rifle to survey a distant compound during an interdiction operation in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Dec. 19, 2013. Kristel, an anti-tank missileman by trade, lead a section of infantry Marines during the clearing operation.

SOUTHERN SHORSURAK, Afghanistan Lance Cpl. Cody J. Stickels, a radio operator with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, prepares to call in a cache find during a patrol to the east of the company’s newly established observation post in Southern Shorsurak, Helmand province, Afghanistan, as part of Operation New Dawn, June 20. Operation New Dawn is a joint operation between Marine Corps units and the Afghanistan National Army to disrupt enemy forces, which have been using the sparsely populated region between Marjah and Nawa as a safe haven.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Preston Sulkowski, an infantry assault Marine assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division directs his fireteam onto the objective during a battalion field exercise at Range 800, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, September 29, 2022. Range 800 improved Charlie Companys efficiency in independent platoon operations and basic fire support team skills during the larger FEX, intended to increase the battalions combat readiness.

U.S. Marines with Fox Company, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (BLT 2/1), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), conduct a Table 3 combat marksmanship course of fire as a part of sustainment training on the flight deck of the USS San Diego (LPD 22), Oct. 1. The 11th MEU is deployed with the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group as a theater reserve and crisis response force throughout U.S. Central Command and the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

020716-A-5790R-012. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Kabul Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

040814-M-3658J-010. Base: Mcb Pendleton State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

030202-M-5150A-022. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Ta Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 7th Marines

BAHRAIN (May 17, 2022) - U.S. Marines assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command (FASTCENT) clear a stairway while conducting squad level training during exercise Neon Defender 22 in Bahrain, May 17. Neon Defender is an annual bilateral training event between U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and Bahrain. The exercise focuses on maritime security operations, installation defense and medical response.

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Jay Lappe, an operations officer with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, provides security during a road reconnaissance patrol in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Aug. 1, 2009. The Marines are trying to improve transportation for civilians and Afghan National Army soldiers by improving damaged roads and bridges. The Marines are deployed to support NATO's International Security Assistance Force and will participate in counter insurgency operations. They will train and mentor Afghan National Security Forces to improve security and stability in the country.

070315-M-6500K-008. Complete Scene Caption: March 5, 2007, Electrician Mate 2 Thierry Osungs, Riverine Squadron (RIVRON-), Detachment 3, st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, takes cover and scans for the enemy firing on their position aboard his assigned Small Unit Riverine Craft (SURC). RIVRON- was getting ready to insert their second SURC into the water to conduct Operation Gibraltar when they were engaged at Riverine Launch Site 4 in Ramadi. The operation consisted of inserting at Riverine Launch Site 4 in Ramadi and extracting at the Al Taqaddum Riverine Launch Site. The operation is to familiarize the arriving RIVRON- with the area that Dam Security Unit 3 (DSU-3), st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force has been covering for the past six months. RIVRON- and DSU-3 are deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Anbar province of Iraq MNF-W to develop the Iraqi Security Forces, facilitate the development of official

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Trevor Turcotte, an infantry Marine with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, clears a corner of a concrete room with his M27 Infantry Assault Rifle, while conducting close quarters combat (CQC) training during exercise Tradewinds 2022 (TW22) at Hattieville, Belize, on May 14, 2022. CQC is a tactic used within a very short range of enemy combatants that involves a firefight. TW22 is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored Caribbean-focused multi-dimensional exercise conducted in the ground, air, sea, and cyber domains, designed to provide participating nations opportunities to conduct joint, combined, and interagency training focused on increasing regional cooperation and interoperability in complex multinational security operations.

Marines from Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, hand a pressure plate found inside a compound in the area of Now Zad, Afghanistan, known as The Greens,” to an explosive ordnance disposal technician, Dec. 8. The Marines cleared the area as part of Operation Cobra’s Anger, to remove any Taliban presence in Now Zad and other nearby regions.

110215-N-9946J-013MAIMANAH, Afghanistan (Feb. 15, 2011) Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Group (EOD) 3 simulate how to identify and find possible improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during a training exercise at Camp Griffin. Sailors assigned to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) provide support to Afghanistan in creating a functioning government and administration structure, while preserving Afghan traditions and culture.

Army desert training at Fort Irwin

KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan --Members of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team security force from the Rhode Island National Guard provide security after clearing an area during a quality assurance, quality control check of the midwifery and medical facility projects, July 7, in Kandahar City. Both projects have the potential to help improve the lives of the people of Afghanistan by creating qualified nurses and midwifes and a stable supply of medicines and other medical supplies. The PRT works with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to improve infrastructure throughout the province.

U.S. Army Soldiers put their gas masks on for a simulated chemical attack during a training mission near Camp Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 25, 2007.

Cpl. Kristine Tejeda and Pfc. Thomas Adgate, Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, or Task Force Steel Dragon, climb the steps of the Ziggurat of Ur to provide security for a tour of the ancient city in Dhi Qar province, Sept. 24. Soldiers of Steel Dragon have provided security for more than 20 tours of the ancient city of Ur since December 2010.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn McKinney, attached to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, provides security during a shura, or consultation, at a police station in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Sept. 29, 2009. The shura is being held to discuss the needs of the Nawa district. The 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment is a combat element of Regimental Combat Team 3, which conducts counterinsurgency operations in partnership with Afghan National Security forces in southern Afghanistan.

U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, rehearse convoy operations before a live fire range during the Adversary Force Exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Feb. 27, 2024. The purpose of AFX is to create a credible, realistic threat for the exercise forces participating in Service Level Training Exercise 2-24. Marine Corps

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Sgt. Michael L. Zickefoose, a team leader assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, provides security while keeping an eye on a recent avenue of approach Taliban used at the Charkh bazaar Dec. 11. Zickefoose, a Warren, Ohio, native, recently volunteered to leave the battalions scout platoon to lead troops in Charkh.

U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Division, 1st Tank Battalion, Delta Company, stop to give assistance to, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) (1st MLG (FWD)), Combat Logistics Battalion 8 (CLB-8) as they repair a AMK-970 tanker during a convoy through Helmand province, Afghanistan on January 31, 2011. 1st MLG (FWD), CLB-8, provided security and maintenance for the convoy while in route to forward operating base Edinburgh.

060322-F-7823A-028. Base: Tall Afar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030508-M-0542A-012. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base State: Al Ahmadi Country: Kuwait (KWT)

Marines with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, perform a medical evacuation during the final exercise of Javelin Thrust, July 28. The final exercise put the companys new skills to the test, giving them a chance to display their capabilities.

U.S. Army Sgt. Justin Wisniewski, from Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 15th Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, provides security in Lutafiyah, Iraq, April 16, 2007, during a combined mission with Iraqi army soldiers from 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division.

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Pfc Michael W. Daley Jr. (right) and Pfc. Travis B. Woolwine, both Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), scan their surroundings while on patrol in Paktya Province, Afghanistan.

050913-A-0527A-009. Base: Camp Kackeran Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: Northeast

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Garret Haase, right, a machine gunner, and Dylan Sanders, a rifleman both with Battalion Landing Team 2/4, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, provide support by fire with a M240B during an exercise on Range 410 on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, June 6, 2022. The 13th MEU is currently conducting Realistic Urban Training exercise to enhance the integration and collective capability of the MEU's command, air, ground, and logistics elements and prepare the 13th MEU to meet the nation's crisis response needs during their upcoming overseas deployment.

U.S. Army Spc. Patrick Keepers and Sgt. Jeremy Kingsbury, both from the Kalagush Provincial Reconstruction Team, watch the ridgelines while other Soldiers inspect a bridge during a patrol in Titin Valley in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan June 14, 2007.

041113-M-8096K-001. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030408-M-4419R-052. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 5th Marines

060208-A-1211S-002. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Loyalty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: A

2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Echo Company, armed with M16 rifles, run the assault course at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island of Hawaii. Base: Pohakuloa Training Area State: Hawaii (HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A Marine with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, Georgian Liaison Team-8, Regimental Combat Team 7, provides security during a partnered base security presence patrol outside Forward Operating Base Shir Ghazay, Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 10, 2013. The joint patrol demonstrated security and stability in the area.

A Soldier exits a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in the village of Darrah-I-Bum, Badghis Province, Afghanistan Jan. 5, 2011. The Soldier was part of a cadre of personnel accompanying the International Security Assistance Force Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin L. Hill on a visit to the Marines, sailors, and Soldiers of Special Operations Task Force-West living and working in Darrah-I-Bum.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Cody Butterson (Left) and Lance Cpl. Daniel Martinez, machine gunners with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, fire an M240 Medium Machine Gun during a live-fire training event at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, Aug. 3, 2022. The Marines conducted a squad attack at Range 410, which provides close proximity to targets, obstacles to breach, and a variety of weapon assets including mortars, rockets, and machine guns.

Seaman Casey McLaughlin, a corpsman with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, provides security during a patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 24, 2010. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers patrolled through a residential area of the area to conduct counterinsurgency operations as part of Operation Moshtarak, a push to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation.

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -U.S. Army Spc. Paul M. Cattorn, a Peru, Ind., native and squad automatic weapon machine gunner assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Task Force Storm, provides security for Afghan National Security Forces on day two of a six-day dismounted operation here Dec. 20. Soldiers of Co. C and ANSF pushed through western Baraki Barak on a six-day foot patrol to eliminate Taliban influence and establish a Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan presence.

060105-A-3283V-002. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Diwaniyah State: Qadisiyah Country: Iraq (IRQ)

A United States Marine during a combat operation in the city of Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion flatten the dirt of a protective wall on a newly constructed observation post on route Cowboys, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 06, 2010. During their mission on route Cowboys, 2nd CEB constructed three observation posts along the road.

AL HAMRA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (June 20, 2022) - A U.S. Marine assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command fires an M2A1 machine gun during exercise Iron Defender 22 at Al Hamra training camp, UAE, June 20. Iron Defender is an annual bilateral training event between U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and forces from the United Arab Emirates. The exercise focuses on maritime security operations, mine countermeasures and harbor defense.

040316-M-5753Q-042. Base: Hadithah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Marine Sgt. Thomas Ledet, a joint terminal attack controller with 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and Lance Cpl. Daniel Salvador, a radio operator with Headquarters Battery, 1st Bn., 11th Marines, set up a radio as part of a fire support coordination exercise during Steel Knight 23 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Nov. 30, 2022. Steel Knight is an annual combined arms live-fire exercise which ensures 1st MARDIV is optimized for naval expeditionary warfare in contested spaces, and is purpose-built to facilitate future operations afloat and ashore.

Spc. Kwanghsin Wang and Sgt. Heath Caito, of Hatchet Troop, 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, maintain security on one of the flanks as soldiers of Hatchet Troop visit Checkpoint 5, which is ran by Afghan National Security Forces. Though Afghan National Security Forces are taking the lead in operations, soldiers from 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, still offer any help that is needed to ensure security is maintained.

Close-up photo of U.S. Marine with his rifle.

030409-M-2195C-030. Base: Mcagcc, Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jason Geranan, of Foxtrot Company, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Brigade, provides security during a halt near the village of Allah Say, Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2007.

060322-F-7823A-080. Base: Tall Afar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

050712-A-8255A-050. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Hiazm State: Diyala Country: Iraq (IRQ)

100313-A-0846W-896: KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Lethal, prepare to move from cover during an attack by anti-Afghan forces in the Tantil Village in eastern Afghanistans Kunar province, March 13. Afghan National Security Forces and International Security Assistance Forces visited the community and its elders because of a high number of recent AAF attacks in the area. No ANSF or ISAF members were wounded during the small arms attack.

U.S. Marine in the desert through the military operation.

Office of the Secretary - SECRETARY DONALD EVANS AFGHANISTAN TRIP

Marines with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, patrol near Forward Operating Base Musa Qala, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 19, 2013. The Marines of 3/7 patrolled to reduce enemy activity in the area.

A Long Knife Brigade Soldier and an Iraqi Army soldier trade high-fives during a patrol near an Iraqi Police station in Amarah July 7.

040114-M-9362G-019. Base: Magtftc, Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Marines from 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, relax before going on a patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 16, 2010. During the patrol, the Marines found a large cache of improvised explosive device making materials, which were later destroyed during a controlled detonation. The 3/6 Marines and soldiers from the Afghan National Army have been conducting counter-insurgency operations in Helmand province since January.

An 82nd Airborne Division soldier armed with an M-249 squad automatic weapon leads members of his Stinger anti-aircraft missile unit on a patrol during an exercise at the National Training Center. Base: Fort Irwin State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division conduct a combat patrol during an Air Assault in the Al Jazeera Desert, Iraq on 22 Mar. 2006.

U.S. Marines assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, prepare move to an objective while conducting a live-fire raid on Range 226 during a battalion field exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 21, 2022. Range 226 improved the Marines ability to operate their rifles at close quarters and in low-visibility environments during the larger FEX, intended to increase the battalions combat readiness.

A UH-1Y crew chief with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (forward) mans the GAU-17/A 7.62mm machine gun while gathering key coalition personnel to be inserted into the Ismaat Bazaar in Helmand province, Afghanistan Sept. 27. The insert was in support of operation Oasis, which established coalition presence in a suspected insurgent logistic hub.

060427-A-5745M-002. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Liberty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 10TH MTN

030327-A-4835R-034. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Kohi Sofi Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

U.S. Army Air Crewman and Blackhawk Helicopter at a Base in Afghanistan's Eastern Kunar Province

040316-M-5753Q-022. Base: Hadithah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 186th Military Police Company, Iowa Army National Guard prepare to clear a house during military operations on urban terrain as part of mobilization training conducted by the 72nd Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Dix, N.J., Jan. 10, 2008.

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Kenneth Kempke, with Dealer Company, 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, secures an area of a market development project in New Baghdad, Iraq, during a dismounted tour of the area Jan. 27, 2008.

240206-M-IU565-1373 FAILAKA ISLAND, Kuwait (Feb. 6, 2024) A Marine assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command provides security while participating in the final evolution of exercise Eager Defender 24 on Failaka Island, Kuwait, Feb. 6. Eager Defender 24 is the capstone in a series of bilateral exercises between Kuwait and U.S. naval forces, focused on enhancing mutual capabilities and interoperability in maritime security operations. Marine Corps photo)

070108-A-7438M-082. State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: SOUTHEAST

AL HAMRA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (June 19, 2022) - A U.S. Marine assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command fires an M-18 pistol during a small arms range as part of exercise Iron Defender 22 at Al Hamra training camp, UAE, June 19. Iron Defender is an annual bilateral training event between U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and forces from the United Arab Emirates. The exercise focuses on maritime security operations, mine countermeasures and harbor defense.

A U.S. Army soldier assigned to Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, looks at a mountain during a patrol through Malajat, Afghanistan, June 4. The purpose of the mission is to gather atmospherics from the local population and to distribute Psychological Operations products.

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