Military Training Operations

Images of military personnel engaged in training exercises, handling equipment, and preparing for operations in various outdoor environments.

Staff Sgt. Paul Tiedemann and Staff Sgt. Monrad Monsen, Combat Medic Specialist, Army Futures Command, prepare a casualty for extraction during the Army's Best Medic Competition. Twenty-two two-Soldier teams from all around the world traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to compete in the finals to be named the Armys Best Medic. The competition is a 72-hour arduous test of the teams physical and mental skills. Competitors must be agile, adaptive leaders who demonstrate mature judgment while testing collective team skills in areas of physical fitness, tactical marksmanship, leadership, warrior skills, land navigation and overall knowledge of medical, technical and tactical proficiencies through a series of hands-on tasks in a simulated operational environment. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel Herman)

U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, conduct training with an M120 120 mm mortar system at Dandolo range in Pordenone, Italy, April 12, 2022. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting ready forces anywhere in the U.S. European, Africa or Central Commands' areas of responsibility.

Pfc. Cade Curphy, a combat engineer with the 833rd Engineer Company out of Ottumwa, Iowa, prepares a shaped charge on a demolition range at Orchard Combat Training Center, in Idaho, on June 10, 2022. Combat engineers use charges shaped to direct the effect of the explosives energy; this particular shaped charge is used to create a hole where a cratering charge will then be placed.

U.S. Army Spc. Devin Kiser from O Troop, 4th Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, packs his gear, following a layout as part of the Sullivan Cup Competitions inprocessing day activities, at Fort Benning, Ga., April 25, 2022. The Sullivan Cup is a biennial competition held at Fort Benning, Ga., to rigorously test and evaluate the best tank crews from across the Armor Branch, the U.S. Marine Corps and international partners.

U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 and members of the Northern Army, Japan Self-Defense Force, repair a local airfield during exercise Resolute Dragon 22 at Camp Betsuka, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 1, 2022. Resolute Dragon 22 is an annual bilateral exercise designed to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance by exercising integrated command and control, targeting, combined arms, and maneuver across multiple domains.

U.S. Marines with 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, assemble M240B medium machine guns during an annual Saint Barbaras Day celebration at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 11, 2024. Artillery units throughout the Marine Corps celebrate St. Barbara, the patron saint of artillerymen, with camaraderie-building events such as a regimental run, tug of war, relay races and Humvee pulls.

Staff Sgt. Joshua Mubarak, a fire support specialist assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Infantry Division Artillery, wraps the injured soldier's arm with israeli pressure dressing July 19 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, during the individual lanes for the 2022 U.S. Army Pacific Best Squad Competition. The 2022 U.S. Army Pacific Best Squad Competition consists of multiple 5-Soldier squads from USARPAC units competing for the opportunity to represent USARPAC at the Department of the Armys competition. stations. The non-commissioned officers and junior enlisted will be assessed together in their ability to execute warrior tasks and battle drills, marksmanship and land navigation, and will be challenged to complete a mission as a squad.

Staff Sgt. Paul Tiedemann and Staff Sgt. Monrad Monsen, Combat Medic Specialist, Army Futures Command, prepare a casualty for extraction during the Army's Best Medic Competition. Twenty-two two-Soldier teams from all around the world traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to compete in the finals to be named the Armys Best Medic. The competition is a 72-hour arduous test of the teams physical and mental skills. Competitors must be agile, adaptive leaders who demonstrate mature judgment while testing collective team skills in areas of physical fitness, tactical marksmanship, leadership, warrior skills, land navigation and overall knowledge of medical, technical and tactical proficiencies through a series of hands-on tasks in a simulated operational environment. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel Herman)

U.S. Marine Corps SSgt Eric Martinez, a bulk fuel specialist with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, facilitates a fuel transfer with members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ahead of Resolute Dragon 22 at Kamifurano Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Sep. 28, 2022. Resolute Dragon 22 is an annual exercise designed to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance by exercising integrated command and control, targeting, combined arms, and maneuver across multiple domains.

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (May 5, 2022) Construction Electrician 2nd Class Angel Delacruz demonstrates knot tying and placement procedures for Construction Electrician 3rd Class Eduardo Rivas-Perez and Construction Electrician 2nd Class Thomas Telfer during Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 18s Command Post Exercise (CPX). CPX is a training evolution conducted by Seabee battalions to assess their mission readiness exercise to prepare battalions for future operations. NMCB 18 Seabees are the expeditionary engineering and construction experts of the naval service. They provide task-tailored, adaptable and combat-ready engineering and construction forces that deploy to support Navy objectives globally.

From the 110th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Battalion (Technical Escort) representing 48th Chemical Brigade, Staff Sgt. Isaac Bocanegra helps Staff Sgt. Ronald N. Helsel to put on an Advanced Bomb Suit during the U.S. Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team of the Year competition, May 16, 2022, Fort Carson, Colorado. The Advanced Bomb Suit is a bomb suit designed to protect the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Soldiers from improvised explosive devices, including those related to fragmentation, blast overpressure, impact, heat and flame.

A U.S. Soldier performs weapon maintenance on a MK19 Grenade Machine Gun to earn the U.S. Army Expert Soldier Badge (ESB), Sept. 13, 2022, in Vilseck, Germany. The ESB is a U.S. Army special skills badge awarded to all Soldiers, except those in Infantry, Special Forces and Medical Career Management fields, after demonstrating individual Soldier competencies and abilities to perform challenging, realistic and mission-focused skill level 1 warrior and brigade commander-selected tasks.

The United States Army's most qualified uniformed interrogation teams met at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to compete in the inaugural Army Interrogation Olympics to determine the Army's Best Interrogation Team of the Year. Military Intelligence Soldiers from Regular Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard components met and thrived in an austere field environment while refining and improving individual and collective HUMINT, analytical, leader, and Soldier skills. The competition was hosted by the 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade from August 8 to 10, 2022.

U.S. Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, conduct Tactical Combat Casualty Care drills in the Central Training Area, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 25, 2022. Marines and Sailors with CLR-37 conducted a mass casualty drill with simulated evacuation via CH-53 Super Stallion aircraft during exercise Iron Dragon. Iron Dragon is a regimental exercise focused on sharpening CLR-37s ability to conduct distributed command and control in preparation for future training exercises. 3rd MLG, based out of Okinawa, Japan, is a forward-deployed combat unit that serves as III Marine Expeditionary Forces comprehensive logistics and combat service support backbone for operations throughout the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alpha Hernandez)

U.S. Marines with 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, start a circular saw during Summer Pioneer 2022 at Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic Oak Grove, Atlantic, North Carolina, July 23, 2022. Summer Pioneer 2022 is a naval engineering exercise demonstrating integrated U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy formations to establish and sustain Expeditionary Advanced Bases and Maritime Domain Awareness.

Members of the Idaho Army National Guards Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st of the 148th Field Artillery Regiment conducted air medical evacuation and casualty treatment, along with members of Detachment 1, Company Golf, 1st of the 168th General Support Aviation Battalion at the Orchard Combat Training Center, May 17.

U.S. Army Chaplain Capt. Joshua Ellis and Sgt. Gionathan Vazquez, an infantryman, both with the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, send a report by radio as part of a religious support readiness training exercise at East Range on Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Feb. 1, 2024. Unit ministry teams received brief training on radio operations and were expected to demonstrate proficiency at sending up a report in order to improve combat readiness in the Indo-Pacific region. Army

Soldiers with the 290th Military Police Brigade conduct non lethal munitions training as part of Exercise Pershing Strike 2022 at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Mississippi, July 26, 2022. Exercises like this demonstrate Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Centers ability to produce trained and validated units ready to deploy throughout the world.

U.S. Army Spc. Alejandro Garcia, a signal support systems specialist assigned to the 192nd Engineer Battalion, Connecticut Army National Guard, performs a functions check on an M4A1 carbine while being graded by cadre from the 643rd Military Police Company, Connecticut Army National Guard, at Joint Base Cape Cod, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, May 11, 2022. Competitors would disassemble, reassemble and perform a functions check on an M4A1 carbine before passing this station and proceeding to the next portion of the stress shoot.

U.S. Soldiers of Squad 10, representing the U.S. Army Futures Command, practice using handheld radios during the Armys first-ever Best Squad competition on Fort Bragg, North Carolina Oct.02, 2022. Each squad competing in the Army Best Squad Competition consists of five Soldiers; a squad leader, which is a sergeant first class or staff sergeant; a team leader, which is a sergeant or corporal; and three squad members in the ranks of specialist or below.

Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Midshipmen take part in a land navigation exercise during their Summer Training Program at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 21, 2022. NROTC Midshipmen Summer Training develops and trains Midshipmen in order to provide the Fleet a competent and professional Naval Service Commissioned Officer.

A Moldovan officer instructs U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Emanuel Littrell, platoon sergeant, A Battery, 1st Battalion, 117th Field Artillery, Alabama National Guard (ALNG), on artillery operations at Operation Fire Shield 2019 hosted by Moldova, Sept. 18 at Bulboaca Training Area, Moldova. Fire Shields mission is sharing knowledge and best practices between the North Carolina National Guard and ALNG artillery experts, Moldovan soldiers and officers and other nations attending the annual event. The NCNG has teamed with Moldova for more than two decades via the State Partnership Program designed to increase peace and stability across Europe.

A U.S. Army Soldier, assigned to the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), assist an Indonesian Service Members on how to use a Israeli bandage during Exercise Super Garuda Shield on Dodiklatpur Rindam V, East Java, Indonesia., September 1, 2023. Super Garuda Shield 2023 is an annual exercise that has significantly grown in scope and size since 2009. SGS2023 is the second consecutive time this exercise has grown into a combined and joint event, highlighting the 6 participating and 12 observing nations' commitment to partnership and a free and open indo-pacific.

Soldiers of the 2nd of the 151st Infantry Battalion, from the Indiana Army National Guard, practice crowd and riot control tactics with the German Bundeswehr(Army) at Hohenfels Training Center, Germany, on October 7, 2022. Task Force Nighthawk is training to be the 31st rotation of U.S. forces to support Operation Joint Guardian in Regional Command East, KFOR in Kosovo.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to Task Force Hurricane from the 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, disarm mock combatants during a platoon immersion in Al-Kharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, June 10, 2022. The immersion was a training event meant to build interoperability between the U.S Army and Royal Saudi Land Force at the platoon level while enhancing both U.S. and partner nation skillsets.

A Soldier assigned to the 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division attaches a tow bar on a Humvee at the 101BSB Truck Rodeo at Skwierzyna, Poland, April 7, 2022. The Truck Rodeo is a competition for transport units, testing their knowledge and skills in basic transportation Soldier tasks.

U.S. Army squads from across III Armored Corps compete for the title of the corps Best Squad during a head-to-head competition at the III Armored Corps Best Squad Competition 2022 at Fort Hood, Texas, Jun. 23, 2022. On day two of the competition, the squad representing 75th Artillery Brigade based out of Fort Sill, Oklahoma, raced against the clock during a Tactical Field Care simulation. Spc. Brandon Leahmann places a combat dummy inside a body sled to prepare for movement during the test. The III Armored Corps pulled only the best from across its divisions and separate brigades to compete in this years inaugural competition. The best squad goes on to compete in the U.S. Army Forces Command competition at Fort Hood in August.

U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 174, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing inspect JP-5 fuel using an aviation test kit during Balikatan 23 at the Subic Bay International Airport, Philippines, April 7, 2023. Balikatan is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences.

U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 44th expeditionary signal battalion, pull a generator from the back of a Humvee at Sembach Army Base, Germany, Sept 14, 2022. During exercise Heavy Rain each team was assessed on their ability to establish and sustain communication with the Wing Operations Center in a simulated contest environment while partnering with French military members and the 527th Space Aggressor Squadron, who acted as the aggressors.

Staff Sgt. Julian Gaitor, Spc. Tyler McGinnis and Pfc. Patrick Sullivan, an M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle crew assigned to 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, disassemble and reassemble the M240 machine gun during Operation Thunder Run, the final event of the Sullivan Cup, on Fort Benning, Georgia, May 6, 2022. The competition highlights the importance of our Noncommissioned Officer Corps to not only train individual tasks, but to build crew competency and lethality.

Explosive ordinance disposal technicians and Soldiers with 71st Ordnance Group, as well as Navy and Air Force EOD personnel, participated in an electronic countermeasures (ECM) training event to provide in depth instruction on the science behind the systems as well as instill confidence with their equipment, Fort Carson, Colorado, June 2, 2022.

U.S. Army Pacific Best Warrior Competition participants line up to get their maps June 6 at Lightning Academy, Schofield Barracks East Range, Hawaii, during the 2022 USARPACs Best Warrior Competition. The USARPAC BWC 2022 is an annual week-long competition consisting of competitors from multiple USARPAC units across the Indo-Pacific. The noncommissioned officers and junior enlisted Soldiers are evaluated in several categories such as general military knowledge, basic Soldier skills, and physical fitness.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Spencer Lipscomb, right, a primary marksmanship instructor with Weapons and Field Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, instructs a recruit with Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, during grass week at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 12, 2022. Recruits shoot at a variety of distances on several targets as part of their marksmanship assessment during recruit training.

Soldiers in the Army National Guard regulate body temperature with ice tank during 18.6 Mile Norwegian Foot March in the Region 3 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition held at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Fla., on May 13th, 2022. Soldiers in the Army National Guard gather to compete, build esprit de corps, and represent their respective states for the upcoming national competition.

Air Force Reserve Maj. James Fink (center), 94th Aerial Port Squadron, orients his map as Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Devin Crawford (left), 108th Training Command, and Army Reserve Cpl. Thomas Doles, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), help out during an orienteering event near Hammelburg, Germany on July 27th 2022. The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers Military Competition (CIOR MILCOMP) is a three-day team competition consisting of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations in Europe. It has been around since 1957. The competition is open to all reserve components for both NCO and officer. It is now run on a volunteer basis and funded by former competitors through an alumni association.

U.S. Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, 58th Military Police Company, brief their Soldiers during a platoon exercise, Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii, Sept. 28, 2022. The purpose of the exercise was to increase readiness when operating as a platoon sized element in populated urban terrain.

U.S. Army Green Berets assigned to 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and members of a cross-functional team (CFT) involving a Civil Affairs (CA) team, a Psychological Operations (PSYOP) team, and Macedonian Special Operations Task Unit Wolves” train on multiple types of sniper rifles during Exercise Trojan Footprint 22 in Macedonia, May 2, 2022. Trojan Footprint is the premier Special Operations Forces (SOF) exercise in Europe that focuses on improving the ability of SOF to counter myriad threats, increases integration with conventional forces and enhances interoperability with our NATO allies and European partners.

Air Force Reserve Col. Brent Dishman, US Air Force Warfare Center, adjusts his rifle sling before firing at Camp Ethan Allen, Vermont on July 19, 2022. The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers Military Competition (CIOR MILCOMP) is a three-day team competition consisting of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations in Europe. It has been around since 1957. The competition is open to all reserve components for both NCO and officer. It is now run on a volunteer basis and funded by former competitors through an alumni association.

Spc. Brandon Gracia (left) and Staff Sgt. Ismael Marquez, 4th Infantry Division, prepare a simulated casualty for extraction Jan. 25 during the CSM Jack L. Clark Jr., Army Best Medic Competition at Fort Hood, Texas.

Soldiers in the 81st Readiness Division tackle Victory Tower at Ft. Jackson, SC, yesterday, as part of a Building Strong and Ready Teams event put on by the 81st RDs Unit Ministry Team. Wildcats also acted as safeties on the obstacle course, helping out the cadre who run the course on a daily basis.

Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers flying RQ-11B Raven Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) over Badger drop zone as part of a two week additional skills course taught by Wisconsin Military Academy instructors at Fort McCoy WI.

U.S. ARMY Soldiers and South Korean Katusa's Conduct a Ruck march and MEDEVAC training on Camp Casey South Korea, NOV 17th 2022. MEDEVAC is the evacuation of military or other casualties to the hospital in a helicopter or airplane." (U.S. ARMY photos by SPC. Christopher Cameron)

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Leonel Saucedo, platoon sergeant, and Cpl. Samuel Gusman jr, radio operator, with the 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division communicate at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Oct. 25, 2022. 3d LCT established a command and control node to provide command and control of expeditionary advanced bases dispersed across the island of Oahu. Bougainville II is a field exercise that allows the MLR and its subordinate units to conduct expeditionary advanced base operations across the island of Oahu. BVII displays the MLRs ability to rapidly establish and displace EABs while executing command and control in a dispersed environment.

Soldiers with the 370th Chemical Company participate in weapons qualifications on ranges at Fort McCoy, Wis., as part of the Red Dragon exercise in August, 2022. U.S. Army photo by Kevin W. Clark

Staff Sgt. Dylan Delamarter and Sgt. Ethan hart, Combat Medic Specialist, New York National Guard, prepare a casualty for transport during the Army's Best Medic Competition. Twenty-two two-Soldier teams from all around the world traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to compete in the finals to be named the Armys Best Medic. The competition is a 72-hour arduous test of the teams physical and mental skills. Competitors must be agile, adaptive leaders who demonstrate mature judgment while testing collective team skills in areas of physical fitness, tactical marksmanship, leadership, warrior skills, land navigation and overall knowledge of medical, technical and tactical proficiencies through a series of hands-on tasks in a simulated operational environment. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel Herman)

Spc. Samuel Herbert, a mortarman in 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, reloads his M4A1 Carbine during the rifle marksmanship portion of the 2023 Best Mortar Competition, April 10, 2023, Fort Benning, Georgia. Spc. Herbert is from Knoxville, Tennessee.

U.S. Soldiers of Squad 5, representing U.S. Army Special Operations Command, practice map reading during the Armys first-ever Best Squad competition on Fort Bragg, North Carolina Oct.02, 2022. The Army Best Squad Competition tests Soldiers on their individual and collective ability to adapt-to and overcome challenging scenarios and battle-readiness events, evaluating their physical endurance, technical skills, and tactical abilities under stress and extreme fatigue.

U.S. Airmen set up dunnage for a bag lift during a crashed, damaged or disabled aircraft recovery training at Aviano Air Base, Italy, Oct. 20, 2022. The dunnage is a set of wooden beams that was inserted under the bags that were inflated to lift the jet, helping the bags keep shape during the lift.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Keaton Carlson, left, a transmissions system operator with Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, applies a tourniquet to a simulated casualty in a Tactical Combat Casualty Care refresher course during exercise Winter Workhorse 24 on Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Feb. 6, 2024. Carlson is a native of Florida. Winter Workhorse is a regularly scheduled training exercise that is designed to enhance warfighting capabilities in contested environments. Marine Corps

Soldiers of the 2nd of the 151st Infantry Battalion, from the Indiana Army National Guard, practice crowd and riot control tactics with the German Bundeswehr(Army) at Hohenfels Training Center, Germany, on October 7, 2022. Task Force Nighthawk is training to be the 31st rotation of U.S. forces to support Operation Joint Guardian in Regional Command East, KFOR in Kosovo.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Wyatt Darnell, a scout sniper with Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, fires his weapon during a live-fire training exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 5, 2024. Marines with the scout sniper platoon conduct drills to improve individual proficiency firing from unconventional positions. 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.

A Fort Meade Medical Department Activity Soldier (right) conducts hoist operations during the third quarter Best Leader Competition at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, July 7. Eight candidates competed in a wide variety of events that covered Army Warrior Tasks in the Shoot, move, communicate and medicate areas that included: M4 Engagement Skills Trainer range, the Army Combat Fitness Test, an obstacle course, day land navigation, a 6-mile ruck march and combat water survival training. The Fort Meade MEDDAC is headquartered on Fort Meade and includes a number of U.S. Army health clinics at several other locations in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.

Soldiers with the 384th Military Police Battalion, 300th Military Police Brigade, 200th Military Police Command, prepare to enter a building during a convoy and room clearing training exercise as part of Spartan Warrior III June 21, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Spartan Warrior III gave the 300th MP Brigade the opportunity to practice multiple levels of military police procedures across two weeks.

U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/4, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, measure a data sheet in preparation for a demolition range during Exercise Cobra Gold in Chantaburi province, Kingdom of Thailand, March 4, 2023. Cobra Gold, now in its 42nd year, is a Thai-U.S. co-sponsored training event that builds on the longstanding friendship between the two allied nations and brings together a robust multinational force to promote regional peace and security in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Spc. Kellan Mathis, an allied trade specialist assigned to the Field Support Command, 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division fabricates a rear deck fastener to replace one on an M1A2 Abrams tank at Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, March 30, 2022. Maintenance and repair of military equipment ensures the U.S. and allies can respond quickly and decisively to crises.

U.S. Army Sgt. Jordan Bryant, an ammunition specialist assigned to 98th Maintenance Company, checks ammunition cans during a convoy live fire exercise in Swietoszow, Poland, Feb. 12, 2024. The 3rd DSB tests Soldiers and teams with individual and collective unit defense and convoy live fire exercises to ensure readiness to protect critical logistics and mission command systems on any battlefield. Army

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Xander Roberts, a motor vehicle operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, secures a vehicle to the back of a 7-ton during a foreign humanitarian assistance exercise at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June 30, 2022. The FHA was conducted to test the Marines abilities to interact and aid humanitarian needs while promoting regional stability and security. 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.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Mitchel Swafford, right, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Battalion 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, supervises Cpl. Jayden Johnson, a rifleman with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, placing a fuse in a block of C4 during a basic demolition range on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Feb. 13, 2024. The training exposed 2nd MLG and 2nd Marine Division Marines to the EOD program, enhancing their baseline understanding of EOD and generate interest as potential lateral move candidates . Marine Corps

SANTA RITA, Guam (July 20, 2022) Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5 applies technical rope work and pulleys to create mechanical advantage hauling an 800 pound simulated bomb up and over six flights of stairs and back down through the center section.

U.S. Army soldiers, assigned to 3rd Armored Brigade Combat team, 1st Cavalry Division, participate in Railhead Operations in Poland. 3ABCT's vehicles arrived in Poland to aid in maximizing military capabilities.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jose Bianchi, assigned to 56th Artillery Command, conducts radio operations and maintenance during day two of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) Best Squad Competition at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Aug. 9, 2022. Teams across USAREUR-AF test their tactical proficiency, communication, and overall cohesion as they compete for the title of Best Squad. Winners of this competition will advance to represent USAREUR-AF at the U.S. Army Best Squad Competition at Fort Bragg, North Carolina later this year.

Army Reserve Sgt. Christine Won, 99th Readiness Division, and Army Reserve Capt. Danielle Rant, U.S. Army Reserve Command, pull up a teammate during a CIOR training exercise near Hammelburg, Germany omn July 27, 2022.The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers Military Competition (CIOR MILCOMP) is a three-day team competition consisting of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations in Europe. It has been around since 1957. The competition is open to all reserve components for both NCO and officer. It is now run on a volunteer basis and funded by former competitors through an alumni association.

A U.S. Sailor assigned to a Navy SEAL Team, climbs up a ladder during Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) training with partner nations during exercise UNITAS LXIII in Rio de Janeiro, Sept. 15, 2022. UNITAS is the worlds longest-running annual multinational maritime exercise that focuses on enhancing interoperability among multiple nations and joint forces during littoral and amphibious operations in order to build on existing regional partnerships and create new enduring relationships that promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the U.S. Southern Commands area of responsibility.

Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 55th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard fuel their vehicles May 13 in Pabrade, Lithuania. The Soldiers are deployed to Lithuania in support of Defender Europe 22 and NATO exercise Flaming Thunder. The vehicles include: M109A6 Paladins, M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicles, M572 Armored Mortar Carriers and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (Humvee).

Soldiers of the 2nd of the 151st Infantry Battalion, from the Indiana Army National Guard, practice crowd and riot control tactics with the German Bundeswehr(Army) at Hohenfels Training Center, Germany, on October 7, 2022. Task Force Nighthawk is training to be the 31st rotation of U.S. forces to support Operation Joint Guardian in Regional Command East, KFOR in Kosovo.

U.S. Air Force Airmen and members of the Latvian National Armed Forces perform a Foreign Object Debris (FOD) walk on the runway during Agile Rage 22 at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Mich., June 10, 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.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Geovanni Solano, left, Lance Cpl. Fernando Simental Jr., middle, and Cpl. Victor Valenzuela, right, all radio operators with Combat Logistics Battalion 4, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, set up communication equipment during an Alert Contingency Marine Air Ground Task Force (ACM) drill at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 24, 2024. The purpose of the ACM drill was to ensure CLB-4 Marines remain ready to rapidly deploy and maintain regional security in the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Regiment-37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, and service members with the Japan Ground Self Defense Force prepare a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement for a bilateral convoy from Camp Kinser to Camp Naha during Keen Sword, Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 15, 2022. Keen Sword exercises the combined capabilities and lethality developed between the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and the Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF). This bilateral field-training exercise between the U.S. military and JSDF strengthens interoperability and combat readiness of the U.S.-Japan Alliance.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Codejames Sommerkamp, a transmissions system operator with 7th Communication Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, analyzes data on a communications field exercise at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 5, 2022.The communication field exercise was conducted to raise baseline military occupation specialty knowledge and training in preparation to deploy with the 31st Marine Expeditionary 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.

Soldiers prepare to start their land navigation, July 18 at Lightning Academy, Hawaii during the 2022 U.S. Army Pacific Best Squad Competition. The 2022 U.S. Army Pacific Best Squad Competition consists of multiple 5-Soldier squads from USARPAC units competing for the opportunity to represent USARPAC at the Department of the Armys competition. stations. The non-commissioned officers and junior enlisted will be assessed together in their ability to execute warrior tasks and battle drills, marksmanship and land navigation, and will be challenged to complete a mission as a squad.

U.S. Air Force Corrine Vann, 435th Contingency Response Squadron operations flight commander, makes a simulated confirmation call to the 435th Contingency Response Group commander during exercise Agile Wolf 22 at Koszalin, Poland, Sept. 15, 2022. The exercise provides the 435th Contingency Response Group to be ready and able to rapidly deploy anywhere within the United States Air Forces Europe area of responsibility in a short amount of time.

U.S. Army squads from across III Armored Corps compete for the title of the corps' Best Squad during a head-to-head competition at the III Armored Corps Best Squad Competition 2022 at Fort Hood, Texas, Jun. 23, 2022. On day two of the competition, the squad representing 89th Military Police Brigade, raced against the clock during a Tactical Field Care simulation. Spc. Austin Moore applies bandages to a combat dummy while being tested on his medical knowledge. The III Armored Corps pulled only the best from across its divisions and separate brigades to compete in this years inaugural competition. The best squad goes on to compete in the U.S. Army Forces Command competition at Fort Hood in August.

Sgt. William Sievers, an observer coach/trainer for the 4th Cavalry Multifunctional Training Brigade, center, leads Soldiers of the 231st Inland Cargo Truck Company, 377th Sustainment Command, through an after-action review following the units completion of during Army Warrior Tasks training as part of Warrior Exercise 78-22-02 July 19, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The 78th Training Division will conduct WAREX 78-22-02 from July 16-30 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, in order to build Warfighter collective readiness and prepare units to execute mission in support of Unified Land Operations.

110301-N-9318F-132SAN IGNACIO, Belize (March 1, 2011) Hospitalman Michael Morales, assigned to Security Cooperation Task Force (SCTF), Ground Combat Element, simulates treatment of a sucking chest wound during a jungle warfare and survival exercise at Pine Ridge Forest Reserve alongside members of the Belize Defense Force. SCTF is deployed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility supporting Amphibious Southern Partnership Station 2011 (A-SPS 11), focusing on strengthening and establishing new relationships through the exchange of maritime mission-focused knowledge and exercising vital lines of communication between regional security services.

U.S. Marines with 3d Battalion, 2d Marines, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers prepare battle training apparatus systems during Exercise Shinka 22.1 at Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, Japan, June 10, 2022. Shinka exemplifies a shared commitment to realistic training that produces lethal, ready, and adaptable forces capable of decentralized operations across a wide range of missions. 3/2 is forward-deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division as part of the Unit Deployment Program.

Sgt. Robert Black of Crystal Lake, Illinois, a Health Care Specialist with the Illinois National Guards 708th Medical Company speed plots points on a map during day three of the Region IV Best Warrior Competition on May 13, 2022. He is one of twelve National Guard Soldiers competing in the Region IV Best Warrior Competition May 11-15, 2022, at Camp Ripley, Minnesota. The annual competition tests the military skills, physical strength and endurance of the top Soldiers and noncommissioned officers from the Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio National Guards. The winners will move on to compete in the National Guards competition on July 20-30, 2022, at Camp Smyrna, Tennessee. (Minnesota National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Sydney Mariette.)

Republic of Korea (ROK) Marines and U.S. Marines with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO), III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group prepare to call in close air support during tactical air control party and close air support training at Pilsung Range, Gangwan Province, South Korea, September 15, 2022. Korea Marine Exercise Program (KMEP) 22-3 is one iteration in a series of continuous combined-training exercises designed to enhance the ROK and U.S. Alliance, promote stability on the Korean Peninsula and strengthen ROK-U.S. military capabilities and interoperability.

Tech. Sgt. William Bryant, III, a petroleum, oil, and lubricants technician with the 442d Logistics Readiness Squadron, practices laying out a forward area refeuling point May 19, 2022, on Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. FARP is a key component of agile combat employment, allowing untis to quickly set up operations and conduct missions in austere environments.

U.S. Navy Corpsmen with 3d Marine Division, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members conduct a mass casualty evacuation drill during Resolute Dragon 22 on Shikaribetsu Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 6, 2022. Resolute Dragon 22 is an annual bilateral exercise designed to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance by exercising integrated command and control, targeting, combined arms, and maneuver across multiple domains.

Sgt. 1st Class Richard Sopko, medical platoon sergeant, 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, monitors the administration of fluids through an IV drip bag during eXportable Combat Training Capability 22-01 on Fort Drum, NY, July 21, 2022.

A U.S. Marine with Weapons Company, 3d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Ground Combat Element, Marine Rotational Force-Darwin 22, loads a magazine before participating in a live-fire sneaker range at Kangaroo Flats Training Area, NT, Australia, May 4, 2022. Weapons Company conducted the live-fire training exercise to maintain their readiness in crisis and contingency response within the Indo-Pacific region.

U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3d Marine Logistics Group, demonstrate Forward Arming and Refueling Point operations with members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during Marine Aviation Support Activity 22.1 in Luzon, Philippines, June 8, 2022. MASA 22 is a bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Marine Corps, aimed at increasing interoperability and improving aviation-related capabilities in support of U.S.-Philippine mutual defense.

Soldiers at Fort McCoy for the 78th Training Divisions Warrior Exercise 78-22-02 participate in a training scenario July 18, 2022, at a training area at Fort McCoy, Wis. The exercise, according to the Army Reserve, trained and evaluated Soldiers on Army Warrior Skill-level 10 tasks through various training lanes and situational-training exercises, and more. The exercise took place at Fort McCoy throughout July 2022. (Photo by Kevin Clark, Fort McCoy Multimedia-Visual Information Office)

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members with 3d Surface Ship Missile Regiment brief U.S. Marines from 3d Battalion, 12th Marines on the Type 88 Surface-to-Ship Missile during a demonstration as a part of Resolute Dragon 22 at Camp Shizunai, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 12, 2022. Resolute Dragon 22 is an annual bilateral exercise designed to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance by exercising integrated command and control, targeting, combined arms, and maneuver across multiple domains.

U.S. Army Soldiers with the 1-114th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, resupply a 120mm mortar weapon system during training on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, June 3, 2022. Mortar Systems provide the maneuver commander rapid, responsive, indirect fires in support of combat operations.

Maj. Hans Amen, 341st Medical Group flight surgeon, and Staff Sgt. Kelsey Aldridge, 341st MDG independent duty medical technician, secure their downed teammate into a stokes litter during an exercise July 15, 2022 at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. This multi-agency exercise was the end scenario for the participants of the Tactical Combat Casualty Care-Medical Provider course. This course was the third level of the TCCC program that all hands-on medical providers are required to take.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Nicholas Bove, left, and Sgt. Connor Donofrio, both aircraft ordnance technicians with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, load ordnance for transport during a Forward Arming and Refueling Point exercise at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, June 29, 2022. FARPs are critical for sustaining the Marine Corps Air Combat Element between mission objectives and their return home. 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 premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.

171024-N-PP197-091SAN CLEMENTE ISL., Calif. (Oct. 24, 2017) Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 1 train to use a chart and compass to plot their location aboard an 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boat during Exercise Dawn Blitz. Dawn Blitz is a scenario-driven exercise designed to train and integrate Navy and Marine Corps units by providing a robust training environment where forces plan and execute an amphibious assault, engage in live-fire events, and establish expeditionary advanced bases in a land and maritime threat environment to improve naval amphibious core competencies.

Navy Medical Reservist attached to the Marine 4th Medical Battalion received simulated wounded patients during Global Medic Exercise at Fort McCoy WI. Global Medic is a world-class joint collective training event that develops and tests a participating unit's soldiers collective ability to exercise and evaluate their skills in a rigorous, realistic, joint training environment, which incorporates scenarios that employ the full range of medical functions and situations.

U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Paul Pena, 77th Fighter Generation Squadron aircraft armament system specialist, prepares a weapon at the beginning of exercise Iron Hand 22-09 at North Auxiliary Airfield, S.C., Aug. 22, 2022. Exercise Iron Hand 22-09 was composed of a team of less than 48 personnel conducting agile combat employment capabilities on an austere, uncontrolled airfield.

030910-M-9023R-033. Subject Operation/Series: CROCODILE 2003 Base: Camp Samuel Hill State: Queensland Country: Australia (AUS) Scene Major Command Shown: 3RD RECONNAISSANCE

Soldiers of the 2nd of the 151st Infantry Battalion, from the Indiana Army National Guard, practice crowd and riot control tactics with the German Bundeswehr(Army) at Hohenfels Training Center, Germany, on October 7, 2022. Task Force Nighthawk is training to be the 31st rotation of U.S. forces to support Operation Joint Guardian in Regional Command East, KFOR in Kosovo.

Sgt. Edgar Santiago, a Petroleum Supply Specialist assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Ansbach, Germany receives his teams evaluation from Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jason Andersen, a Safety Officer with the 1-214th GSAB out of Wiesbaden, Germany during a Forward Arming and Refueling Point exercise supporting Saber Junction 22. Saber Junction 22 is a multinational rotational exercise designed to assess the readiness of the U.S. Army's 173d Airborne Brigade to execute unified land operations in a joint, combined environment and to promote interoperability with more than 4,500 participants from the U.S. and Allied and partner nations at the U.S. Army's Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas from August 29 to September 20, 2022.

U.S. Marines with 3rd Landing Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, unload gear from a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement Trailer during exercise Winter Workhorse, at Central Training Area, Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 5, 2022. Winter Workhorse is an annual exercise for CLR-3 to train to carry out mission essential tasks in forward-deployed, austere environments.

U.S. reconnaissance Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit Maritime Raid Force and reconnaissance Marines with the Indonesia Marine Corps launch a combat rubber raiding craft as part of Super Garuda Shield 22 in Batam, Indonesia, July 30, 2022. Garuda Shield, a part of Operation Pathways and a longstanding annual, bilateral military exercise conducted between the U.S. military and Indonesia National Armed Forces, reinforces the U.S. commitments to our allies, and regional partners, joint readiness, and the interoperability to fight and win together.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.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Andrew Jeter and Lance Cpl. Logan Castillo-Rivera, an aviation meteorological equipment technician and a rifleman both assigned to Maritime Surveillance Platoon, 3rd Intelligence Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, discuss which major landmarks they will display in their terrain model at the Jungle Warfare Training Center, Camp Gonsalvez, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 12, 2022. MSP is an experimental unit whose mission is to decrease the commanders' uncertainty of the maritime domain through the employment of radars and other sensors. MSP provides the Marine Corps with its only organic maritime sensor surveillance capability in support of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force and Navy commanders' intelligence collection efforts.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st. Class Justin Pingicer, a senior noncommissioned officer assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, refills fluids for a replenished M1A2 Abrams tanks main gun during preventive maintenance checks and services as part of Defender Europe 22 at Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, May 9, 2022. Defender Europe 22 is a series of U.S. Army Europe and Africa multinational training exercises in Eastern Europe. The exercise demonstrates U.S. Army Europe and Africas ability to conduct large-scale ground combat operations across multiple theaters in support of NATO.

041006-M-0374B-004. Base: Marine Corps Base, Camp Fuji State: Honshu Country: Japan (JPN)

South Carolina National Guard Soldiers from the 108th Public Affairs Detachment in Eastover, S.C. load gear into a Humvee in preparation to support partnered civilian agencies and safeguard the citizens of the state in advance of Hurricane Florence, September 9, 2018. Approximately 1,600 Soldiers and Airmen have been mobilized to prepare, respond and participate in recovery efforts as forecasters project Hurricane Florence will increase in strength with potential to be a Category 4 storm and a projected path to make landfall near the Carolinas and east coast.

Capt. Eikoku Ikeno, a Judge Advocate assigned to 4th Cavalry Brigade, 1st Army Division East, completes signal testing as part of the requirements for the Brigade Spur Ride, June 2, 2022 at For Knox, Kentucky.

U.S. Air Force Airman Basic Ethan Harris, a Lightweight Machine Gun Course student, prepares ammunition for a truck-mounted M240B medium machine gun while Robert Powers, a LMGC instructor, prepares the weapon prior to a nighttime live-fire exercise at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis Military Training Reservation, Texas, Oct. 4, 2022. The two-week LMGC culminates in a three-day live-fire weapons familiarization designed to prepare students for day-one mission demands at future assignment locations where this training is not available.

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