← Military & Defence

Soldiers in Combat Zones

U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan engaged in combat and training exercises, highlighting their tactical operations and readiness.

U.S. Marine on Patrol in Afghanistan's Helmand Province

060315-M-0374B-007. Complete Scene Caption: On March 15, 2006, Combat Engineers attached to 3rd Platoon, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 5, patrol through fields along the Euphrates River in Fallujah, Iraq, in search of weapon caches and any items that could be used to make improvised explosive devices (IED's) during Operation California Dreaming. Regimental Combat Team Five is deployed with I MEF (FWD) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Anbar Province if Iraq (MNF-W) to develop the Iraqi Security Forces, facilitate the development of official rule of law through democratic government reforms, and continue the development of a market based economy centered on Iraqi Reconstruction. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by CPL. Adaecus G. Brooks) (Released) Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fallujah Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: FOX CO 2/6

030409-M-2195C-001. Base: Mcagcc, Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

041109-M-2789C-085. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Army Soldiers attached to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment search for three missing Soldiers in the streets of Yusifiyah, Iraq, May 14, 2007.

U.S. Soldiers of B Troop, 5th Cavalry, 73rd Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, receive a convoy briefing on Forward Operating Base Loyalty, Beladiyat, eastern Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 2, 2009.

U.S. Marines with 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, conduct infantry immersion training (IIT) at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, May 5, 2022. IIT is a mixed reality training facility for small units, where they are put in realistic scenarios by role players who test the Marines skills.

U.S. Marines with Lima Company, Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, boost Marines over a wall during a vertical-assault raid course aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Oct. 29, 2014. The course teaches vertical assault techniques and the importance of working together as a cohesive unit during a raid.

U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers conduct a pre-assessment ruck march on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Jan. 8, 2023. Soldiers were required to complete a 12-mile ruck march in under three hours to be eligible for Air Assault School.

Marines of 8th Engineer Support Battalion (ESB), 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), disassemble a bridge removed from the Helmand River in the Sangin District, Helmand province, Afghanistan, December 7th, 2010. 8th ESB Marines conduct engineering operations for coalition forces and local nationals in support of the International Security Assistance Force.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jason Gray, motor vehicle operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, instructs Marines prior to convoy operation 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

U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, are briefed at the halfway point during a ground assault as part of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force Distributed Maneuver Exercise as part of Service Level Training Exercise 2-24 around Gays Pass training area, at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, Feb. 14, 2024. MDMX prepares Marines for future conflicts by conducting offensive and defensive live-fire and maneuver training scenarios within an austere training environment. Marine Corps

As Samawah, April 11, 2004. © Henry Westendorp / Royal Navy. Recording's for internet. Also on 6x6 for Open Day KL, KLU note: The description with this photo is the original description by the photographer. At a later stage this description will be revised if necessary.

U.S. Army Soldiers from 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment prepare to enter a building to find hiding enemy forces during a demonstration of military capabilities Sept. 3, 2022, in Razish, National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. U.S. Army Soldiers from 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment demonstrated combat operations including react to contact, military operations in urban terrain (MOUT,) and medical treatment and evacuation skills for visiting members of the public during a tour of the National Training Center.

050323-M-9019H-026. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 4-Mar

Marine rider in helmet and camo uniform, standing on one knee, aiming service rifle, supporting with fire running behind teammate. United States army special forces soldiers attacking enemy in desert. Marine riders moving with caution through sands

051123-A-5560L-002. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Sgt. 1st Class George Brace with 1st Cavalry Division helps paratroopers sight in their M249 squad automatic weapons March 26, 2012 at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. The paratroopers, assigned to the 82nd Airborne Divisions 1st Brigade Combat Team, must calibrate their light machine guns prior to pushing out to their forward operating bases.

A U.S. Army Infantryman assigned to the East Africa Response Force (EARF) adjusts the helmet of a fellow soldier during an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise (EDRE) to provide security at the U.S. Embassy, Mogadishu, Somalia, April 22, 2022. The Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa deploys the EARF to support Department of State partners in fixed-site security and evacuation support to protect U.S. Government facilities and personnel and to enable U.S. Embassies to continue operations in challenging security environments.

030303-M-3138H-001. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 5TH MARINES

040603-M-8096M-003. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Khabargho State: Zabol Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

United States Marine Corps LAV-25 during a combat operation, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Maritime Raid Force Marines fire M4 Carbines while conducting a marksmanship training exercise at a range in Qatar, April 22, 2013. Eagle Resolve is an annual multilateral exercise designed to enhance regional cooperative defense efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council nations and U.S. Central Command. The 26th MEU is deployed to the 5th Fleet area of operations aboard the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group. The 26th MEU operates continuously across the globe, providing the president and unified combatant commanders with a forward-deployed, sea-based quick reaction force.

Marines with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment set out on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 18, 2010. Patrols have been increased in an effort to push the Taliban back and create a buffer for villages friendly towards coalition forces in the region.

U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 473, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, transport simulated casualties during the mobile operations course at Range 205 during Integrated Training Exercise (ITX) 4-22 at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., July 30, 2022. The mobile operations course challenges supporting elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force to respond to contact while delivering logistical supplies to other elements of the MAGTF. ITX enables the Reserve Component to simulate a mobilization and deploy its forces in preparation for potential future deployments in the event of a contingency or crisis.

041021-F-2034C-015. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: F.O.B. Mackenzie Country: Iraq (IRQ)

100803-A-6225G-054 U.S. Army Spc. Kevin Welsh provides security before boarding a CH-47 Chinook helicopter after completing a mission in Chak valley in the Wardak province of Afghanistan on Aug. 3, 2010. Welsh is assigned to 4th Platoon, Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.

030224-M-3138H-007. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 5TH MARINES

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, conduct an introductory hike around Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, April 8, 2022. A progressive hike program of increasing distances and pace improve the recruits' mental and physical conditioning, sustain field conditioning and provide overall preparation for Marine Combat Training.

040414-F-7823A-003. Base: Balad Air Base Country: Iraq (IRQ)

EOD technicians use explosives to clear an air field for an exercise during a training event May 16, 2022 at Fort McCoy, Wis. Audacious Warrior is an explosive ordnance disposal exercise with participation from Airmen, Marines, and Soldiers from a range of units and career fields.

Navy Corpsman James Hyten, a native of Indianapolis, Ind. and medical technician for Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., carries a Marine during the Integrated Training Exercise at Twentynine Palms, Calif., May 27, 2013. The battalion sent four convoys over two days to train Marines on resupply operations and to provide realistic "local-national" training for the Marines before CLB-6's upcoming deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

070317-M-2819S-044. Complete Scene Caption: From left to right, 1ST LT. Peckham, CAPT. Lane, and MAJ. Helton, attached to the Military Transition Team discuss a convoy with the Iraqi Army. Soldiers of the Iraqi Army and Marines with the Military Transition Team attached to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, and 1ST Division of the Iraqi Army conduct mounted security patrols as a combined forces exercise on March 7, 2007. Regimental Combat Team 6 is deployed with II Marine Expeditionary Force in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Anbar Province of Iraq (Multi-National Forces-West) to develop the Iraqi Security Forces, facilitate the development of official rule of law through democratic government reforms, and continue the development of a market based economy centered on Iraqi Reconstruction. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by CPL. Neill A. Sevelius) (Released) Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 2-2-1 MTT

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Robert Moss, a fire team leader assigned to Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Company, Europe does participates in competition alongside Spanish Marines assigned to Marine Infantry Brigade, and Italian Marines assigned to Brigade San Marco as part of exercise Lisa Azul in Sierra del Retin, Spain, Sept. 15, 2022. Lisa Azul is an annual bilateral training exercise that takes place aboard Naval Station Rota and Sierra del Retin and focuses on critical skills such as live-fire, helicopter rope suspension techniques, non-lethal combatives, and physical fitness to foster camaraderie and sustain interoperability amongst U.S. and partner forces and improve lethality in security and infantry operations.

U.S. Marines in the mountains during a military operation.

030304-M-6538A-025. Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 5th Marines

030408-M-4419R-036. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base State: Al Ahmadi Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 5th Marines

U.S. Marines with Company F., 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, pose for a photo during a Marine Air-Ground Task Force Distributed Maneuver Exercise as part of Service Level Training Exercise 2-24 at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, Feb. 13, 2024. MDMX prepares Marines for future conflicts by conducting offensive and defensive live-fire and maneuver training scenarios within an austere training environment. Marine Corps

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Justin Nellums (left) pulls security at an Iraqi police station. U.S. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, are supporting the Iraqi police 1st Emergency Reaction Force Battalion while they clear sections of Mufrek, Iraq, from al-Qaida influences on Jan. 16.

1st Lt. Josh Faucett, a joint terminal attack controller with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, reaches quickly for his radio handset to call for fire support just after Taliban insurgents ambushed their patrol Aug. 13. The fight lasted six hours and was the longest since July 4 here. Faucett is from Elwood, Ind.

041214-M-4697Y-004. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Egers State: Kunar Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/4, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, move towards an objective while conducting an exercise on Range 400 on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, June 9, 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.

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Sailors from the USS Nassau fire small arms and the M249 maching gun in Djibouti, Africa. The 24th MEU remains as one of the most expedient units and rapid-response force ready to perform a full scale of missions ranging from humanitarian relief to full-scale combat operations.

Squads from across U.S. Army Central compete in this years U.S. Army Central Best Squad Competition on May 5, 2022 Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Units that fall under U.S. Army Central send their best squads to compete in the event that tests each squads in various warrior tasks and battle drills.

030409-M-4419R-020. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 5th Marines

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Streeter of Newton Iowa, and Soldier with Troop B, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Redhorse, scans a nearby hilltop during a search of the Qual-e Jala village, here Feb. 21. ANA soldiers, Afghan National Police and other assets partnered with Troop B to search the village of Qual-e Jala for targeted individuals in order to clear, hold, build’ Koh-e Safi District. While searching the village, the Troop B Soldiers and their partners killed one known insurgent, detained four others and also found assorted weapons which they gathered and destroyed. Task Force Redhorse is a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, also known as Task Force Red Bulls, and maintains security throughout Parwan Province.

Bismullah Khaliq, the patrol leader with a team of Afghan Uniformed Police based out of the Khan Neshin precinct, speaks with U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Alejandro Santiago, an assistant team leader with the Police Advisor Team, Delta Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, through a Dari to English linguist during a patrol here, March 24, 2012. The Marines said the uniformed police are on the right track to operate independently. Santiago is a native of San Francisco.

060327-A-1211S-197. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Forward Operating Base Gabe Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: A

050817-M-1195M-126. Base: Al Qatranah Range Country: Jordan (JOR)

U.S. Marines with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, prepare to board an MV-22B Osprey during Readiness Exercise 22.2 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, July 26, 2022. The purpose of REDEX 22.2 is to validate worldwide crisis-response capabilities and demonstrate deployment readiness.

040323-M-9362G-011. Base: Mcagcc, Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

970215-M-1890C-002. Base: Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

031213M-6237R-004. Base: Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Army Maj. Waylon Skeleton with Joint Force Headquarters-South Dakota, briefs Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, Montana Army National Guard and Soldiers with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Aviation company, North Dakota Army National Guard at the end of a training exercise during Golden Coyote Training Exercise at Camp Rapid, South Dakota, June 16, 2022. Golden Coyote is a three-phase, scenario-driven exercise conducted in South Dakota and Wyoming, which enables commanders to focus on mission essential task requirements, warrior tasks and battle drills, including performing a hot-cold litter carry

041115-M-3658J-029. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Two U.S. Army soldiers walk their vehicle through the muddy paths of Forward Operating Base Airborne south of Kabul, Afghanistan, March 6, 2009. The soldiers, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team and part of Task Force Spartan, took control of the base last month.

Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers with Task Force Red Dragon, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, and members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) exchange knowledge on close-quarters combat at the French 5th Overseas Interarms Regiment base, Djibouti, June 23, 2022. Members of the CJTF-HOA regularly train and work alongside allies, partners, and government organizations to achieve a unified effort to improve safety, security and prosperity in East Africa.

090115-F-7564C-035 U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina Army National Guard practice urban combat in a training village at Camp Shelby, Miss., on Jan. 15, 2009. The soldiers are preparing to deploy to Iraq.

020107-F-3356N-005. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Unknown Scene Major Command Shown: CENTAF

U.S. Marines with 7th Communication Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, load .556 ball rounds into magazines during a field exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 26, 2023.The purpose of this exercise is to increase lethality and readiness of Marines within the unit. III MIG functions as the vanguard of III MEF, operating in the Indo-Pacific regions information environment, and supports Marine Air Ground Task Force operations with communications, intelligence, and supporting arms liaison capabilities.

Marines with Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, set up communication equipment during a heliborne training operation aboard Fort A.P. Hill, Va., Sept. 17, 2009. The Marines conducted a heliborne raid exercise as part of Ground Air Integration Training in preparation for future deployments.

Pfc. Jesus Ruiz, assigned to Bravo Company, 1-124th Infantry Regiment, conducts a MK19 clearing drill during the U.S. Army Central Best Squad Competition at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, May 4, 2022

040609-M-5555L-009. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Junction City State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

1st Lt. Pat Barone, a platoon leader, and Sgt. Daryl Appling, both with Company D, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade), explain to Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement soldiers how to conduct tactical patrols at night along the Iraqi-Syrian border Dec. 9, 2009. At rear with an Iraqi soldier is Jordanian interpreter, Rami Tamimi.

Marines display a selection of weapons confiscated during the multinational relief effort Operation Restore Hope. Subject Operation/Series: RESTORE HOPE Country: Somalia (SOM)

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Connor Koelling, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, talks on a radio at Saylor Creek Range in Grasmere, Idaho during exercise Garnet Rattler April 18, 2022. Garnet Rattler is a joint exercise between Marines, Soldiers and Airmen to train and qualify Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) to be more efficient and lethal in a realistic training environment.

070211-A-4520N-316. Base: Rusafah State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: KOREA

040906-M-3988H-008. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Mudaysis Country: Iraq (IRQ)

US Air Force (USAF) Pararescuemen, 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron (ERS), Balad Air Base (AB), Iraq, scan the area for threats during a flight onboard an HH-60G Pave Hawk, 64th ERS during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Balad Air Base Country: Iraq (IRQ)

041110-M-2789C-005. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Marine troops arrive at the airport. Subject Operation/Series: RESTORE HOPE Base: Mogadishu Country: Somalia (SOM)

060105-A-5745M-038. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Liberty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 10TH MNT 2ND BDE

U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, take cover before detonating an explosive charge during a close-quarter tactics range on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 6, 2024. Marines conduct training exercises to increase lethality and ensure effective responses in urban environments. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.

040604-F-4884R-006. Base: Balad State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ)

040828-F-8946M-001. Base: Forward Operating Base Duke State: Najaf Country: Iraq (IRQ)

060225-A-7969G-007. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fob Summerall State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: C1-187

U.S. Marines with the 13th Marine Expeditionary, Unit hike to a training area to conduct Rear Area Security training during Realistic Urban Training exercise at Marine Corp Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms on June 6, 2022. The 13th MEU is currently conducting RUT exercise to enhance the integration and collective capability of the MEUs command, air, ground, and logistics elements and prepare the 13th MEU to meet the nations crisis response needs during their upcoming overseas deployment.

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, prepare to conduct the Bayonet Assault Course at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, June 1, 2022. The Bayonet assault Course develops recruits combat fitness, mental toughness and confidence, while maneuvering various obstacles and employing bayonet techniques against training dummies and tires.

040229-M-5753Q-007. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Udairi Country: Kuwait (KWT)

U.S. Army Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve and a member of the Luxembourg Contingent, NATO Mission Iraq, being awarded gold badges for the Schützenschnur, at Forward Operating Base Union III, Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 20, 2022. CJTF-OIR is the military component of a Global Coalition of 77 nations and 5 international organizations, who remain committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Troops of the 82nd Airborne Division stand in formation prior to an attack on a mock-enemy bunker while taking part in training exercise during Operation Desert Shield. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT SHIELD Country: Saudi Arabia(SAU)

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Cody Domangue, a joint terminal attack controller, and Lance Cpl. Alexander Tague, a joint fires observer, both with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, use a radio to relay instructions to mortarmen during the battalions Fire Support Coordination Exercise (FSCEX) on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 13, 2022. FSCEX is a week-long exercise that validates the units ability to provide offensive and defensive fires using organic fire assets of a Marine Expeditionary Unit as part of their Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation in preparation for their upcoming deployment with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

040528-M-8458L-006. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Wusbin Valley State: Surobi District Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

040327-M-1623M-005. Base: Mcagcc, Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

US Marine Corps (USMC) Sergeant (SGT) McCombs, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines (3/8), Lima Company, Second Platoon, displays a 120mm Rocket found buried in the dirt with a cache of weapons near Karmah, Iraq. The Marines with 3/8 are conducting Security And Stabilization Operation (SASO) in the Al Anbar province of Iraq in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Army Special Forces train with Royal Moroccan Special Operations and conduct Close-Quarters Battle drills while participating in exercise African Lion 2022 at Tifnit Morocco, Africa, on June 23, 2022. AL22 is U.S. Africa Command's largest, premier, joint, combined annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia, June 6 - 30. More than 7,500 participants from 28 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner-nation forces. AL22 is a joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employing a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access.

060320-A-5745M-029. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Liberty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 10 MTN DIV

BAHRAIN (May 18, 2022) - U.S. Marines assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command (FASTCENT) treat a simulated casualty while conducting squad level training during exercise Neon Defender 22 in Bahrain, May 18. 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.

060424-A-0559K-016. Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers with Task Force Red Dragon, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), train with members of the French Foreign Legion at the French Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain (MOUT) site, Djibouti, April 15, 2022. Members of CJTF-HOA regularly train with and work alongside Allies, partners and government organizations to achieve a unified effort to improve safety, security and prosperity in East Africa.

Sgt. Daniel Gunther and Staff Sgt. Cindy Gray pose for a photo at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Gunther and Gray are California Army National Guard members currently deployed to the Middle East with Task Force Phoenix. On the civilian side, both are highway patrol officers with the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Because of their civilian law enforcement experience, they were selected to serve as the Task Force Phoenix Command Team personal security detachment.

050712-A-8255A-086. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Showka Village State: Diyala Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Sergeant Than Naing, a squad leader with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, leaps over a stream during a patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 24, 2010. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers patrolled through a residential area of the city to conduct counterinsurgency operations as part of Operation Moshtarak, a push to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation.

040422-M-8096M-021. Base: Najoy State: Kandahar Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

970503-M-0416K-007. Complete Scene Caption: Lance Corporal (LCPL) W. J. Wilkerson with 1ST Platoon Weapons Company, 2d Battalion, 6th Marines, adjusts LCPL D. M. Miller on target with his M240G Medium Machine Gun at range 400 during COMBINED ARMS Exercise (CAX) 6-97. CAX 5/6-97 is a MAGTF (Marine Air Ground Task Force) exercise being conducted at MCAGCC (Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center), 29 Palms, California. The command element for this exercise is MAGTF-6, which is built around the 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Many commands from the II MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) have sent units to this desert warfare exercise, to fill key billets in the Ground Combat Element (GCE), Air Combat Element (ACE) and the Combat Service Support Element (CSSE). Subject Operation/Series: CAX 6-97 Base: Mcagcc, Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

030408-M-4779G-011. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030206-M-5753Q-048. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 7th Marines

U.S. Army Sgt. Keith Radcliffe (center) of Columbia, Md., now a security force member of the Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team, conducts a dismounted patrol through the town of Nengarash on Nov. 11, 2010. Ensuring the area around their Forward Operating Base is secure is paramount to successful PRT operations. PRTs work with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's government to improve security for Afghan citizens.

U.S. Marine Corps combat engineers with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171 prime a 40-pound cratering charge during exercise Eagle Wrath 22 at Combined Arms Training Center (CATC) Camp Fuji, Japan, May 14, 2022. Eagle Wrath is an annual MWSS-171 exercise at CATC Camp Fuji, Japan, designed to increase squadron proficiency in conducting real-world contingency missions while in a forward operating environment.

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Christopher Green, a forward air control Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) with Tactical Air Control Party Department, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), surveys the land for close air support during WTI course 1-23, at Yodaville, near Yuma, Arizona, Sept. 28, 2022. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by MAWTS-1, providing 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. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Anakin Smith)

040424-M-1623M-012. Base: Mcagcc, Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

of 5