Soldiers in Combat Operations

Dynamic scenes of soldiers engaged in combat exercises, showcasing teamwork and tactical maneuvers in arid environments.

101008-A-6521C-096 U.S. Army Pvt. David Stufflebeam, from 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, provides security during a mission to deliver a swing set to the village of Manghokhel in the Kherwar district of the Logar province of Afghanistan on Oct. 8, 2010. The swing set was delivered to establish positive relations with the local Afghan populace and encourage more children to attend school.

100627-N-6903G-203 U.S. Army Pfc. Robert Parker (2nd from left) provides fire support for his squad members during a live-fire exercise at the Kirkush Military Training Base in the Diyala province of Iraq on June 27, 2010. During the exercise, U.S. and Iraqi forces trained to clear mined wired obstacles, bunker complexes and on reacting to contact. Parker is assigned to Alpha Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.

101008-A-6521C-096 U.S. Army Pvt. David Stufflebeam, from 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, provides security during a mission to deliver a swing set to the village of Manghokhel in the Kherwar district of the Logar province of Afghanistan on Oct. 8, 2010. The swing set was delivered to establish positive relations with the local Afghan populace and encourage more children to attend school.

A machine gun crew with the 82nd Airborne Divisions 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, sets up an overwatch position during a foot patrol May 8, 2012, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. The unit, 2-504th PIR, belongs to 1st Brigade Combat Team, which deployed to the province in March to bring security to nearby Highway 1.

U.S. Army Soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment extract teammates to safety for simulated medical care during exercise Talisman Sabre 2007 in Shoalwater Bay, Australia, June 28, 2007. The biennial exercise is designed to train Australian and U.S. forces in planning and conducting combined task force operations, which will help improve combat readiness and interoperability.

041115-F-8946M-005. Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Army Soldier from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team conduct a cordon and search mission in Buhriz, Iraq, March 14, 2007. Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are conducting their first mission in the Diyala province.

Sgt. Maj. William Heyob, sergeant major of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, shares a walk with an Afghan child through the Balaclava Bazaar in Garmsir, Afghanistan, following a security shura at the Garmsir district governor's office Nov. 19, 2009. Leaders from the Afghan national security force, along with Lt. Col. John E. McDonough, commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, met with Gov. Jan to discuss security issues and concerns throughout Garmsir. Heyob is from Hamilton, Ohio.

U.S. Army Spc. Robert Zarlenga, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, fires his M4 carbine at insurgent forces June 15, 2012, near Joint Security Station Hasan, southern Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Zarlenga is assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Paratroopers assigned to Troop K, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, position themselves to provide fire support for their fellow Paratroopers and their Iraqi counterparts assigned to the 3rd National Police Brigade, 1st NP Division as they prepare to clear a nearby village during Operation Winged Lion II.” The Iraqi-led air assault clearance operation was in order to deny insurgent movement into the Iraqi capital.

060105-A-3283V-008. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Diwaniyah State: Qadisiyah Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Cannon Crew Members Spc. Amen-Ra Umoren and Pvt. Javan Haans with Bulldog Battery, Field Artillery Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment load a M777A2 during training in Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany April 21, 2022. 7th Army Training Commands Grafenwoehr Training Area provides the highest quality ranges, maneuver areas, training assistance and support to U.S., Joint and Multinational commands enabling them to safely achieve and sustain live-fire qualification gunnery standards and to hone their skills to win in any operating environment.

Approximately 80 Idaho Army National Guard Soldiers with the 1st Battalion of the 148th Field Artillery Regiment, along with counterparts from several states to include California, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin are training with the Royal Moroccan Army in the northern Sahara Desert as part of African Lion 22. Idahos battalion, from the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team and headquartered in Pocatello, left the United States June 18 for the two-week exercise overseas with the international partner. Idaho Soldiers spent the first week preparing for the combined arms live-fire multinational mission that is the primary focus of the second week and conducted annual crew certification on the M109A6 Howitzer. During the exercise, the battalion provided ground support with preparatory and destructive fires, as well as obscuration using white smoke fires. At the end of the two-week exercise, the Idaho National Guard and the four counterpart states will conduct the combined arms live-fire

U.S. Army Soldiers from 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team train at the Joint Multi-National Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany, March 31, 2007, for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. The Soldiers refined their skills in mounted and dismounted patrols, small unit tactics, military operations in urban terrain, counter-improved explosive devices and long range marksmanship.

060316-M-9019H-042. Base: Hit State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

U.S. Army Soldiers run towards a fence during a training mission near Camp Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 25, 2007.

U.S. Air Force Combat Controllers from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field Fl., exit a UH-60 helicopter to set up for an air drop of humanitarian aid into Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan 18, 2010. Department of Defense assets have been deployed to assist in the Haiti relief effort following a magnitude 7 earthquake that hit the city on Jan. 12, 2010.

030412-F-2034C-024. Base: Tallil Air Base State: Dhi Qar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: CENTCOM

Soldiers assigned to Task Force Timberwolf conduct vehicle recovery operations during the U.S. Army Central Best Squad Competition at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, May 5, 2022. BSC measures the physical and mental ability of squad level elements over the course of the four-day event.

A U.S. Soldier, assigned to Bull Troop, 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2CR), fires a shotgun to breach a door during a demolition/breaching range at the 7th Army Training Command's (7ATC) Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, June 15, 2022. 2CR provides the 7th ATC with a lethal and agile force capable of rapid deployment throughout the European theater in order to assure allies, deter adversaries, and when ordered, defend the NATO alliance.

060409-F-0560B-169. Base: Al Diwanyah State: Al Qadisiyah Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Senior Airman Sergio Verdin provides security during a training exercise with members of the 303rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron and the French air forces 311th Fighter Squadron June 12, 2014, in Djibouti. Verdin is a tactical air control party member with the 82nd ERQS.

070208-A-6553F-019. State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Sebastian, Fla., native Spc. Thomas Quinn, a Division Rapid Response Force Soldier for Battery C, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, stands guard as an AH-64D Apache helicopter takes off after a downed aircraft training mission at Camp Taji, Iraq. Quinn is one of many Soldiers who train to quickly and expertly insert into an area of a downed aircraft, secure it, and rescue its pilots.

CAMP TITIN, Jordan - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Harrison Preston, assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command (FASTCENT), prepares for a live fire squad attack range during Exercise Eager Lion 22 at Camp Titin, Jordan, September 7, 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.

CAMP TITIN, Jordan - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Harrison Preston, assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command (FASTCENT), prepares for a live fire squad attack range during Exercise Eager Lion 22 at Camp Titin, Jordan, September 7, 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.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Angelo Siano Pso of Philadelphia, Pa., assigned to 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, escorts his Brigade Commander, Col. Marc Ferraro of Cherry Hill, N.J., during an area familiarization mission to the Abu Ghraib area of Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 31, 2009.

060807-A-0559K-008. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Forward Operating Base Dagger State: Tikrit Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: NORTHWEST

U.S. Marines standby during their annual rifle qualification at Range 116A on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, May 11, 2022. Camp Pendletons Marksmanship Training Division trains 22,000 Marines and sailors each year across the installation to effectively engage targets with both rifles and pistols. The ARQ is a timed course of fire, ranging from 500 yards down to 15 yards.

041201-M-6795S-013. State: Khowst Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

101214-F-2185F-215 U.S. Army Spc. Erik Martin (left), with the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team, enters the village of Khwazi, Afghanistan, while on a dismounted mission to survey the village for a new well on Dec. 14, 2010. The Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team is comprised of Air Force, Army, U.S. 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.

The U.S Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) in conjunction with local Fort Bragg and partner nations' airborne organizations conduct the Randy Older Memorial Operation Toy drop 2.0, a combined airborne training event at Fort Bragg, NC from 4-12 DEC 2022 to increase joint airborne proficiency an community relations.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - U.S. Air Force Capt. Cameron Rochelle, 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron combat rescue officer, watches for potential threats as his teammates breech a door during a mission rehearsal in an excess structure here Aug. 26, 2014. The event allowed PJs to hone their breaching, clearing, patient care, and egress skills. Air Force rescue forces conduct combat search and rescue and personnel recovery operations. Rochelle is deployed from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. The 83rd ERQS partnered with Joint Task Force Trailblazer, U.S. Army 2nd Engineer Brigade, to use the structure prior to its scheduled deconstruction. Task Force Trailblazer is currently demolishing 50-70 wooden structures here each week as part of Operation Enduring Freedom retrograde operations.

041115-M-3658J-040. Base: Camp Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 40603

Sgt. Justin L. Olbu, 23, squad leader, Company G, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, scans the horizon with one of his Afghan National Army counterparts Aug. 17, 2009 while Marine engineers construct a more permanent base of operations for his unit. The Stanwood, Wash., native has been living in abandoned buildings and open fields since combat operations began in July.

040828-F-8946M-003. Base: Forward Operating Base Duke State: Najaf Country: Iraq (IRQ)

040613-M-5555L-033. Base: Camp Ali State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Lance Cpl. Steven Hoggand, a machine gunner and section leader with 7th Marines, directs his Marines fire while suppressing an enemy position during platoon attack drills, July 24, aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California.

2/2/2004 - KARSHI-KHANABAD AIRFIELD (K-2), Uzbekistan (AFPN) - The 416th Air Expeditionary Group Aerial Port Flight here, take care of soldiers who need transportation to forward-deployed location. The Aerial Port team is deployed from the Nevada Air National Guard's 152nd Airlift Wing in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

U.S Army 1st Lt. Andrew Dacey, attached to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, stands in front of an ambush-protected vehicle in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, March 31.

A U.S. Marine with Scout Sniper Platoon, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, searches for Taliban fighters near Marjah, Afghanistan, Feb. 21, 2010. Marines use the optics on their weapons to help survey the battlefield.

060425-A-7969G-017. Subject Operation/Series: SWIFT SWORD Base: Sukariya State: Salah Ah Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST AB DIVISION

U.S. Army Rangers in Afghanistan combat scene.

030323-M-5753Q-001. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Az Zubayr Country: Iraq (IRQ)

BAHRAIN (May 18, 2022) - U.S. Marines assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command (FASTCENT) clear a room 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.

U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, receive a mission brief before boarding a UH-1Y Venom (not shown) during Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 1-23 at the Laguna Combat Aircraft Loading Area, Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, Oct. 8, 2022. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One, 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.

050702-A-9144B-003. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Unknown Scene Major Command Shown: 1/11 ACR

BAHRAIN (May 10, 2022) - U.S. Marines assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Central Command (FASTCENT) and Royal Bahrain Naval Force Marines participate in a simulated medical evacuation as part of exercise Neon Defender 22 in Bahrain, May 10. 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.

A U.S. Army Soldier assigned to Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa prepares his climbing gear at Centre Dentrainment Au Combat (CECAD), Djibouti, Sept. 21, 2022, while participating in the French Desert Commando Course (FDCC). The FDCC is a multi-day course held by the French at CECAD that challenges both U.S. and French service members by challenging the participants physically and mentally through land and water obstacles and endurance exercises while surviving in austere field conditions.

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Aidhan Boyle (left), a rifleman, and 2nd Lt. Claude Macari (right), a platoon commander, both with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, set security on Range 400 during Integrated Training Exercise (ITX) on Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, May 16, 2022. ITX creates a challenging, realistic training environment that produces combat-ready forces capable of operating as an integrated MAGTF.

Capt. Markus Shawnee, (left) commander commander for Bravo Company, 179th Infantry, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, plans the next tactical movement after taking cover from rocket attacks and small-arms fire in a village while two soldiers scan the area for enemies Sept. 13.

U.S. Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division scan for suspicious activity during a patrol of the Diyala River Valley in Iraq Dec. 27, 2008.

040619-F-4884R-030. State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ)

During a final phase of training, the Idaho Army National Guard Sniper Team was required to move to a location without detection, set up a firing position in a covered facility, identify a target and possible hostage and neutralize the target. After firing the team was then tasked with leaving the secured facility without detection.While commonly known as snipers, the official term used by U.S.Army is designated marksman. The U.S. Army Sniper Course is a seven-week training course at Fort Benning. With most formal training courses, skill training is an ongoing process throughout the year. The snipers of the 2-116th CAB trained for a full week separate from the main body of units in the field during annual training 2022. Their training encompassed individual qualifications, timed shooting exercises and movement to a covered location without being detected, identifying adversaries, engagement and withdrawal without being sighted. U.S.Army, Idaho Army National Guard, Sniper, Infantry, Orc

U.S. Air Force airmen from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing change the tire of a Humvee during a training exercise on Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, April 20, 2022. Security forces trained airmen from different squadrons of the base.

U.S. Army paratroopers with 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, receive a safety brief to conduct platoon live-fire training during exercise Rock Dawn at Camp Ādaži in Latvia, May 16, 2022.The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance.

U.S. Army Sfc. Cory West and Spc. John Bell conduct a mission to investigate a house outside of Command Outpost Carver, Iraq, April 2, 2008, that was previously occupied by Al Qaeda operative Abu Ziyad. The Soldiers are from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, prepare for the Marine Corps table two course of fire at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, July 19, 2022. Table two course of fire teaches recruits the fundamentals of safety and marksmanship in combat shooting positions and rifle carries.

U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement personnel from Maritime Security Response Team East perform live fire demonstrations at the units training center in North Carolina, Jan. 12, 2023. MSRT-East is an advanced-ready force trained in counterterrorism, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats, high-risk law enforcement boarding procedures and maritime security.

U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/4, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, take cover during an exercise on Range 410 on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, June 6, 2022. The 13th MEU is currently conducting Realistic Urban Training exercise to enhance the integration and collective capability of the MEU's command, air, ground, and logistics elements and prepare the 13th MEU to meet the nation's crisis response needs during their upcoming overseas deployment.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Sied Abderrahmane (right), a native of Houma, Louisiana, and Pfc. Jason Ditzel, a native of Woodbridge, New Jersey, both mortarman with 1st Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division (MARDIV), adjust an 81mm mortar on a target during Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 2-22 on U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, April 13, 2022. WTI is a seven-week training event, hosted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One, which emphasizes the development of small task-organized unit experimentation across all warfighting functions, as well as enhance the battalion's ability to conduct command and control, fire-support planning, intelligence functions, and logistical support to distributed company level operations. This exercise continues support of 2d MARDIVs experimental battalion's assessment and mission essential task list-based pre-deployment training progression.

070326-M-2819S-005. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: RCT-6

Sgt. Nathanael J. Fried, 1st Squad leader, 3rd Platoon, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and a native of Tampa, Fla., teaches his Marines about defensive positions during a rehearsal as part of the Clear, Hold, Build Exercise 2 at Range 210 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif. March 5.

050622-A-9039F-008. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Orgun-E State: Paktia Country: Afghanistan (AFG)

041202-M-3988H-016. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Al Asad State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 65th Field Artillery Brigade, Utah National Guard, conduct mass-casualty training during Western Strike 22 at Orchard Combat Training Center, Idaho, June 7, 2022. Western Strike 22 is an eXportable Combat Training Capabilities exercise led by the 65th Field Artillery Brigade, that provides National Guard Soldiers immersed training similar to a Combat Training Center and aims to increase participating unit's readiness and lethality.

U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the East Africa Response Force (EARF), Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, (CJTF-HOA), run through several courses of fire at the Djiboutian Range Complex, Djibouti, May 25 2022. The EARF provides support for any contingency, including crisis response, humanitarian assistance, non-combatant evacuation operations, disaster relief operations, support to U.S. embassies, recovery capabilities of aircraft and personnel, and other missions as directed. (U.S. Air Force photos by Staff Sgt. Joel Pfiester)

U.S. Marines with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, prepare to breach a house during an Air Assault Course at Camp Pendleton, California, on July 12, 2022. The Air Assault Course creates a challenging, realistic training environment that produces combat-ready forces capable of successfully operating as part of a Marine Expeditionary Unit.

U.S. Army soldier Sgt. Emanual Nesbitt of 1st Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, Ft. Bragg, NC confirms the correct position of aiming reference poles with use of a gun sight on a M198-155mm Howitzer on Contigency Operating Base Speicher, June 10, 2006. The soldiers of the 1-321st are preparing to perform a night live fire exercise with a combination of illumination and high explosive ammunition.

U.S. Army Spc. Canales and Sgt. Canada, 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, provide security during a patrol of Rusafa, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 17, 2008.

U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, carry a simulated casualty during the Integrated Training Exercise 3-22 on Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California April 16, 2022. ITX is a live-fire event that increases unit readiness. ITX teaches the tactical application of combined-arms maneuver as well as offensive and defensive operations during combat.

060320-A-7969G-021. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Bayji State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST

060220-A-7969G-021. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fob Summerall State: Salah Ad Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: B1-187

070320-M-7404B-012. Complete Scene Caption: An instructor with the 2nd Brigade 7th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team (MiTT 2-7) marches Iraqi Army Soldiers in the School of Infantry (SOI) back after an exercise on proper 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)

U.S. Army Soldiers from the fourth squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, stand in formation for the closing ceremony at Noble Partner 22 at the Vaziani Training Area, in the country of Georgia, Sep. 8, 2022. Noble Partner 22 builds multinational interoperability between allied and partner nations, increasing readiness and improving multinational command and control capabilities.

HELMAND PROVINCE, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Capt. Stephan P. Karabin, commanding officer, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, gives directions to units on two different radios from a rooftop during a firefight at the center of Five Points,” a key intersection of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand province. Marines of Charlie Co. conducted a helicopter-borne assault that morning to seize the area. Karabin, 30, is from West Palm Beach, Fla.

U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, prepare Bangalore torpedoes during Range 400, a company-level combined arms training event, during Marine Littoral Regiment Training Exercise (MLR-TE) at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Feb. 9, 2023. MLR-TE is a large-scale, service-level exercise designed to train, develop, and experiment with the 3d MLR as part of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force, led by 3d Marine Division, operating as a Stand-in Force across a contested and distributed maritime environment.

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 35th Infantry Division conduct M17 and M4 individual weapons qualification ranges at Udairi Ranges, Kuwait, Sept. 22, 2022.

030408-M-4419R-082. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 5th Marines

U.S. Marines with Air Officer Department, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), locate targets during Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 2-22 at Landing Zone Bull (LZ Bull), Chocolate Mountain Ariel Gunnery Range, California on April 12, 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.

240205-M-IU565-1061 CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait (Feb. 5, 2024) Soldiers assigned to Task Force Spartan conduct urban terrain operations while participating in a final exercise rehearsal during exercise Eager Defender 24 onboard Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Feb. 5. Eager Defender 24 is the capstone in a series of bilateral exercises between Kuwait and U.S. naval forces, focused on enhancing mutual capabilities and interoperability in maritime security operations. Marine Corps photo)

U.S. Marines 2d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, take cover during Marine Warfighting Exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, May 3, 2022. This exercise is the culminating event of the Service Level Training Exercise, challenging the MAGTF to fight against a free thinking adversary with similar capabilities in a force-on-force environment.

U.S. Marines, with Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit prepare for insertion during a helicopter raid exercise above Ie Shima, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 13, 2022. The exercise simulated taking control of an enemy airfield and supporting further seize and denial operations. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a ready and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.

060227-A-5747J-193. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fob Brassfield-Mora State: Salah Al Din Country: Iraq (IRQ)

020502-F-5740T-014. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Al Udeid Air Base, Doha Country: Qatar (QAT)

060502-A-5745M-019. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Liberty State: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 10TH MTN

Ariz. Army National Guard Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment conduct air assault and infantry training at Florence Military Reservation, in Florence, Ariz., April 23, 2022. Citizen-Soldiers from all around Arizona come together to better their skills during training exercises to improve readiness and provide better support to units across the Arizona National Guard

US soldier going through the desert during the military operation

040602-M-8096M-012. Base: Zabol Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: 22ND MEU (SOC)

U.S. Army Spc. Travis Grimes, a native of Layfette, Idaho, and other U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers walk along Route Illinois to one of their mission objectives on Oct. 12, 2008. Grimes and the U.S. Soldiers are members of 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and the Iraqi soldier is a member of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Iraqi Army Division.

030206-M-5753Q-060. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Camp Coyote Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: 7th Marines

070103-A-0350A-039. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Taji Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Lance Cpl. Mark Trent, a scout sniper with 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, provides security inside a compound in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 16, 2010. The Marines took shelter inside the compound after clearing it of insurgents and improvised explosive devices. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and insurgent activity.

U.S. Marines from 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve place an explosive to conduct a breach with members of the Egyptian military during exercise Bright Star 23 at Mohamed Naguib Military Base (MNMB), Egypt, Sept. 7, 2023. Bright Star 23 is a multilateral U.S. Central Command exercise held with the Arab Republic of Egypt across air, land, and sea domains that promotes and enhances regional security and cooperation, and improves interoperability in irregular warfare against hybrid threat scenarios.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Shahied Abdulbarr, from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, scans for enemy personnel prior to a joint clearing operation with local Abna'a Al Iraq (Sons of Iraq) through a group of small villages south of Salman Pak, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2008. The village is known to have recently been occupied by insurgents.

060411-A-7969G-005. Base: Laq Laq State: Salah Ah Din Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: 101ST AB DIVISION

040720-F-5789F-014. Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)

030407-M-6910K-027. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Camp Viper Country: Iraq (IRQ)

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, AfghanistanStaff Sgt. James Allen, an Lancaster, Calif. native, conducts a dismounted patrol of the Sharana District Center bazaar with his platoon’s Afghan Uniformed Police partners. Allen, a squad leader with B company, 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, part of Task Force Blackhawk based out of Grafenwoehr, Germany, is working to build strong ties with their AUP counterparts after assuming control of Paktika Province Afghanistan earlier this month.

U.S. Soldiers, assigned to the 1st Armored Division, walk away from a CH-47 Chinook in preparation for the M4 weapon qualification range during the Iron Squad Competition at Fort Bliss, Texas, April 20, 2022.The Iron Squad Competition is a four-day event designed to test each squad and individual competitors physical stamina, Warrior Tasks and Battle Drill skills and military knowledge. The winning squad will advance to compete in the III Corps Best Squad Competition later this year at Fort Hood.

Soldiers from Headquarters, and Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) board a Chinook to be transported to the training area, kicking off Operation Lethal Eagle II, April 22, 2022, on Fort Campbell. Lethal Eagle is a division-wide training exercise designed to produce lethal squads and platoons grounded in fundamentals ready for contingency operations on today's battlefields. (U.S. Army photos: Spc. Laura Hardin)

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