Desert Observations and Operations

Vistas of desert landscapes captured during military missions and observation posts, highlighting international peacekeeping efforts and preparations.

Kite Flyers In Kabul,, Afghanistan

Kite Flyers In Kabul,, Afghanistan

DF-ST-86-07811. Base: Cairo West Country: Egypt (EGY)

El Kab (Nejab en egipcio), es una localidad que fue la capital del III nomo del Alto Egipto a partir de la dinastía XVIII, durante el Imperio Nuevo.

Egypt: Observation point of the Multinational Force and peacekeepers in the Sinai desert with American soldiers

Personnel from the 621st Aerial Port Squadron, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey construct a TALCE Operations tent at an airfield in Jordan during preparation of the Air Power Expeditionary Force that is taking place. An ancillary mission of the force is to assist US Air Force and other multinational forces operating in Saudi Arabia and nearby countries patrol the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. Subject Operation/Series: AIR POWER EXPEDITIONARY FORCE Country: Jordan (JOR)

A view of a tank and other vehicles prior to their deployment for combat exercises during Exercise Gallant Eagle '82. Subject Operation/Series: GALLANT EAGLE '82 Base: Fort Irwin State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 299th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division moves to the Brigade Support Area (BSA) during rotation 22-09 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 5, 2022.

DM-ST-88-07784. Subject Operation/Series: BRIGHT STAR Base: Cairo West Country: Egypt (EGY)

U.S. Air Force Col. Britt Vanshur and Lt. Col. Dave Borden, the Air Reserve Component advisors assigned to the Ninth Air Force, ride in a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected All-Terrain vehicle, assigned to the 378th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Aug. 1, 2022. Vanshur and Borden visited PSAB, Aug. 1 - 2, to meet and interact with the Reservists and Guardsmen assigned to 378th Air Expeditionary Wing. ARCs mission is to represent Air Force Reserve Command and National Guard Bureau, advise deployed leaders on ARC issues and advocate for deployed Reservists and Guardsmen throughout AFCENTs area of responsibility.

Tigis Bennett heats an Ethiopian coffee pot, known as a jebena, over a fire during an Ethiopian coffee ceremony during a culture day at Chabelley Airfield, Djibouti, May 5, 2022. U.S. Airmen with the 776th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron participated in the ceremony, which is considered to be the most important social occasion in many Ethiopian villages and a sign of respect and friendship.

030329-M-2900S-003. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT)

050222-N-5319A-004. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Kalsu State: Babil Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030222-F-9528H-021. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Unknown

DM-ST-88-07781. Subject Operation/Series: BRIGHT STAR Base: Cairo West Country: Egypt (EGY)

CAMP TITIN, Jordan - A U.S. Marine assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command (FASTCENT) conduct a close quarters marksmanship range during Exercise Eager Lion 22 at Camp Titin, Jordan, September 14, 2022. Eager Lion 22 is a multilateral exercise hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, designed to exchange military expertise, and improve interoperability among partner nations, and considered the capstone of a broader U.S. military relationship with the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). Jordan is one of U.S. Central Commands (USCENTCOM) strongest and most reliable partners in the Levant sub-region.

050614-A-1566H-021. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Abu Ghraib Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 463 MP CO, 376 BTL/ 49 BRG, MNCI

A U.S. Army Soldier walks through a palm grove in Baqubah, Iraq, March 30, 2007, during a joint patrol with Iraqi army soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division.

960821-F-2829R-001. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH Base: Al Kharj Air Base Country: Saudi Arabia (SAU)

070320-M-7404B-026. Complete Scene Caption: Iraqi Army Soldiers in the School of Infantry (SOI) take a knee and search the horizon while practicing squad patrolling formations on Camp Yasser, Asad Air Base, Iraq on March 20, 2007. SOI is a ten day training school that teaches advanced fighting techniques and tactics to new Iraqi Army Soldiers before they report to their battalions. 2nd Battalion 7th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team is deployed as a part of MNF-W in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Anbar province of Iraq 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. (Official USMC photograph by CPL Sheila M. Brooks)(Released) Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Asad State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: MITT 2-7

An S-60 57mm automatic anti-aircraft gun battery abandoned during Operation Desert Storm.. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Base: Tallil Air Base State: Dhi Qar Country: Iraq(IRQ)

U.S. Army Soldiers from 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment take fire from hidden enemy forces as they exit a building 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.

A821211 SAFEGUARD AREA 11 EXERCISE MARK SOOHOO (PROJECT ENGINEER) JUL 30 82 EG&G/NTS PHOTO LAB Publication Date: 7/30/1982 AREA 11; AREA 11 EXERCISE; BUILDING 103; BUILDING TYPES; COMPOUNDS; EDGERTON, GERMESHAUSEN & GRIER; EG&G; MALE; MALES; MEN; MEN (ADD MALE MODIFIER); NEVADA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NTS; NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY; NUCLEAR TESTING; NUCLEAR TESTS; SAFEGUARDS; TEST SITES; UGT; UNDERGROUND TESTING; SAFEGUARD-AREA 11 EXERCISE historical images. 1972 - 2012. Department of Energy. National Nuclear Security Administration. Photographs Related to Nuclear Weapons Testing at the Nevada Test Site.

Air Assault candidates rappel out of a UH-60, February 22, 2024. After successfully rappeling from the UH-60, candidates must complete the 12-mile ruck in under 3 hours the following morning. Army

030424-F-2034C-005. Base: Tallil Air Base State: Dhi Qar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: CENTCOM

Fuel lines are connected from a C-130 Hercules aircraft to a A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft during Refueling and Armament Team operations. Base: Dry Lake State: Nevada (NV) Country: United States Of America (USA)

030318-A-XXXXX-100. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp New Jersey Country: Kuwait (KWT)

U.S. Army HMMV drives into a hostile training environment 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.

A Royal Jordanian Air Force member opens the door of a Royal Jordanian Air Force AS332 Super Puma as it lands to let U.S. Air Force Joint Tactical Air Controllers from the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron off as part of the Falcon Air Meet 2010 near Azraq, Jordan, Oct. 25, 2010. The purpose of The Falcon Air Meet is to improve international military relations and joint air operations.

030822-M-7837W-008. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Babylon Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Personnel assigned to the 96th Test Wing, Eglin AFB, evaluate battle damage on the targets for potential updates to Weaponeering models and software on the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), Nevada, Sept 13, 2022. The NTTR mission is to create, operate, and maintain live and synthetic environments and integrate partners to optimize warfighter capabilities.

A right rear view of an Iraqi S-60 57mm automatic anti-aircraft gun captured during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Kuwait (KWT)

DF-ST-83-09328. Subject Operation/Series: BRIGHT STAR '82 Country: Shara Desert

DF-ST-86-07938. Base: Cairo West Country: Egypt (EGY)

040331-M-5753Q-036. Base: Barwana State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

A view of a demolished hardened aircraft shelter at Jalibah Air Base, destroyed by Allied bombing during Operation Desert Storm.. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Base: Jalibah Air Base Country: Iraq(IRQ)

An Afghan constructs a building near the Kandahar International Airport, Kandahar, Afghanistan, during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. (Duplicate image, also see DF-SD-02-06562 or 020117-M-9368G-176). Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Kandahar International Airport Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Taylor Davis, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing member, depredates a building with an air rifle on Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, June 4, 2022. Depredation is part of keeping the flight line safe and preventing aircraft damage.

030224-M-3138H-002. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 5TH MARINES

A Humvee enters the gates of a missile launch facility during a training exercise April 19, 2022, near Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. The Humvee was manned by 841st Missile Security Forces Squadron defenders, who responded to a threat from simulated armed combatants during the training scenario.

030322-M-9124R-006. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030215-M-2715C-005. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Workhorse Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: MWSS-271

030413-M-4066S-026. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Tent City housed the 850 "Gunfighters" from the 366th Wing participate in the U.S. Central Command exercise called "Bright Star". TECH SGT. Keith Hutchenson (left) and SENIOR AIRMAN Gregory Batz work on providing power to "light up" the town. This exercise marked the first overseas deployment of a composite wing. Subject Operation/Series: BRIGHT STAR Base: Mountain Home Air Force Base State: Idaho (ID) Country: United States Of America (USA)

041202-F-0524H-024. Base: Al Qaim Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kevin Flenoury walks through Khwazi village, Afghanistan, Dec. 14, 2010. Members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul visited the village to survey a site for a future well project. PRT Zabul is composed of Air Force, Army, Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel who work with the government of Afghanistan to improve governance, stability, and development throughout the province.

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.

011108-F-1851B-052. Base: Masirah Air Base Country: Oman (OMN)

040608-M-0706S-034. Base: Al Shahabi State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 1/5, B Co.

A military policemen stands guard at the entry control point to the Central Command area during the multinational joint service exercise Bright Star '85. Subject Operation/Series: BRIGHT STAR '85 Base: Cairo West Air Base State: Al Qahirah Country: Egypt (EGY)

Gannet Refugee Camp, Somalia, Africa

A U.S. Marine Corps officer candidate with Officer Selection Team San Diego, buddy rushes during an Officer Candidates School preparation weekend at Edson Range, Camp Pendleton, California on April 30, 2022. The OCS preparation weekend is designed to prepare aspiring Marine Corps officers mentally and physically for the rigors of OCS.

Chinese Manufactured 107mm Rocket Launcher Captured From the Taliban Stands Ready Atop a Sandbagged Bunker at a Forward Operating Base in Asadabad, Afghanistan

A uniformed and armed United Nation peacekeeper directs a loader as it off loads a humanitarian aid pallet, from the Canadian C-130, at the Sarajevo airport. Base: Sarajevo Country: Bosnia And/I Herzegovina (BIH)

050713-A-6108G-511. Base: Balad Air Base Country: Iraq (IRQ)

A Russian all terrain vehicle (ATV) takes Expedition 35 Commander Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to a helicopter from the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft shortly after the capsule landed with Hadfield and Expedition 35 Flight Engineers Tom Marshburn and Roman Romanenko in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Hadfield, Marshburn and Romanenko are returning from five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 34 and 35 crews.

030314-M-9124R-011. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Grizzly Country: Kuwait (KWT)

Marines in an M998 High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) are greeted by a pair of Iraqi children as they patrol the city's streets. Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) and MEU Service Support Group 24 (MSSG-24) are furnishing aid to the Kurdish refugees in the Zakhu area as part of Operation Provide Comfort. Subject Operation/Series: PROVIDE COMFORT Base: Zakhu Country: Iraq (IRQ)

970408-F-1787R-160. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH Base: Doha Country: Qatar (QAT) Scene Major Command Shown: 4 AEW/VI CENTER/DOHA/QATAR

U.S. Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, carefully pass an Afghan farmer during a convoy in Striker vehicles to Forward Operating Base Sweeney, Afghanistan, November 2, 2009. The Soldiers are deployed to FOB Wolverine, Zabul Province, Afghanistan, conducting counterinsurgency operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

DF-ST-86-07769. Base: Cairo West Country: Egypt (EGY)

Military land vehicle moving on a road

Bin Jawad: heavy artillery shelling and machine gun shooting in Bin Jawad. 28 wounded and an unknown number of deaths.

Front in Korea, David Ketel, 1952 color slide Korea slide Korea

An Afghan National Army soldier looks out the window of a school in Nawa district, Helmand province, Afghanistan Oct. 8, 2009. Marines with Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3, and ANA soldiers visited the school to discuss fixing structural damage.

120718-M-VB788-082KAWAIHAE PORT, Hawaii (July 18, 2012) Navy beach masters direct Marine Corps high mobility multi-wheeled vehicles at Kawaihae port during the schedule of events phase of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 exercise. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in the RIMPAC exercise from June 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971.

Concertina wire litters a section of beach in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm.. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Base: Kuwait City Country: Kuwait(KWT)

Airmen from the 1st Expeditionary Rescue Group and the 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base., unload an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter from a C-5M Galaxy at an undisclosed location, Southwest Asia, Oct. 11, 2022. The primary mission of the Pave Hawk is to conduct personnel recovery operations into hostile environments to recover isolated personnel during war.

030327-M-2306K-022. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Ramaylah Oil Field Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Corey Conley and Lance Cpl. Zayra Marquez, both unmanned aircraft system operators with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, prepare to launch an RQ-20B Puma at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii, Aug. 17, 2022. Bougainville I allows fire teams and squads with 3d LCT to rehearse small unit cohesion, lethality, and survivability to set conditions for company offensive, defensive, and Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations during future exercises.

030410-M-5753Q-043. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Qa Dawi, Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 7th Marines

Baqubah, Iraq - M88 recovery vehicle at Camp Warhorse

Adjabiya Libya Local people prepares the guns to fight Gaddafi troops.

Forward observers, soldiers who direct artillery fire, hike to an observation point after being dropped off at a landing site during Western Strike 22, June 9, 2022. 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.

030314-A-XXXXX-011. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM. Base: Camp New Jersey Country: Kuwait (KWT)

NAWA, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Local Afghans gather around a mine resistant ambush protected all terrain vehicle in Nawa, Afghanistan, to receive gifts for the Muslim Holiday of Id al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, Nov. 17, 2010. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, provided security while Afghan National Army Soldiers and U.S. Army personnel gave out supplies as a goodwill gesture during the second day of Id al-Adha. Within 15 minutes more than 300 gifts were given out. Marines and Afghan forces held three similar events across the Helmand province.

Teams from NASA, Boeing and the White Sands Missile Range, rehearse landing and crew extraction from Boeings CST-100 Starliner, which will be used to carry humans to the International Space Station, on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019 at the White Sands Missile Range outside Las Cruces, New Mexico. Using a convoy of vehicles Boeing uses to recover their spacecraft after landing and a boiler plate test article of the Starliner capsule, the teams worked through the steps necessary to safe the vehicle and get future crew members out of the Starliner to return home. NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann and Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson will fly to the space station aboard the Starliner for the Boeing Crew Flight Test mission.

030212-M-5753Q-017. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT)

A U.S. Army Trooper assigned to Brawler Troop, Regimental Engineer Squadron, 3d Cavalry Regiment, moves earth using a XX Dozer to create anti-tank ditches as part of constructing a defensive posture prior to the final battle of the training rotation at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, May 26, 2022. The RES created a total of 24 kilometers of obstacles during the month-long training rotation.

041215-A-5702C-014. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Owja Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Escorted by dozens of children, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Cesaitis exits the site of a future park in Qalat, Afghanistan, during a site visit Oct. 28, 2010. Sergeant Cesaitis is assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul's security force.

A member of the 621st Air Mobility Operations Group, McGuire AFB, NJ dismantles a tent at the completion of Operation Phoenix Peak, a mobility exercise designed to prepare the 621st for their up-coming Operations Readiness Inspection. Subject Operation/Series: PHOENIX PEAK Base: Roswell Air Force Base State: New Mexico (NM) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A U.S. Marine Corps M1 Abrams Tank, with Delta Company, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division conducts offensive and defensive tactics during Large Scale Exercise (LSE) on August 18, 2016, on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. LSE-16 is designed to enhance the command and control and interoperability between I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) and its higher, adjacent and subordinate command headquarters. (Marine Corps

These NJARNG soldiers from the 119th CSSB (Combat Sustainment Support Battalion) are completing their Zero and Grounding range training (M4) on Range 20 on the Fort Dix Range Complex. (Photos taken by the Fort Dix TSC Training Support Center)

A U.S. Marine Corps recruit with Alpha Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, swings on an obstacle during the confidence course at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, June 27, 2022. The confidence course is composed of a series of obstacles built to test recruits' physical and mental endurance and strength.

030321-M-9124R-054. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

US Air Force STAFF Sergeant David Miller, a Cable/Antenna systems technician from the 341st Communications Squadron, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, performs maintenance on a communications cable in a tower at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, during Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. SSGT Miller is part of the coalition forces of the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, that enforce the no-fly and no-drive zone in Southern Iraq to protect and defend against Iraqi aggression in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH Base: Prince Sultan Air Base Country: Saudi Arabia (SAU)

040408-M-8096M-004. Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

030824-M-7837W-007. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Blaire Airfield, Al Kut State: Wasit Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030327-M-5150A-013. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Asia: Medio Oriente: Yemen: dintorni di Seyun lavorazione della calce. (Photo by: Federico Meneghetti/REDA&CO/UIG)

Afghan Fighters, Working With US Marines in Eastern Afghanistan, Load an Anti-Aircraft Gun Used for Perimeter Defense at a Remote Base

Local Armed Guard With Trekking Group, Simien Mountains National Park; Asmara Region, Ethiopia

030228-M-5753Q-002. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT)

The 41st Hospital, named after Honduran President Roberto Suazo Cordova, in operation during the joint US/Honduras training Exercise AHUAS TARA II (BIG PINE). Subject Operation/Series: AHUAS TARA II (BIG PINE) Base: Comayagua Country: Honduras (HND)

011014-F-1851B-019. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Unknown

040602-M-8096M-089. Base: Zabol Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: 22ND MEU (SOC)

Goods are packed in the temporary accommodation on the base Diyardbakir of the Dutch air target batteries during commitment in 1991 in Turkey.

060211-A-2718K-020. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Mosul Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE NORTHWEST

Tent or yurt of nomads pitched inside low walls at Murghaz in northern Afghanistan, Asia

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