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Yakima Training Center, Washington. (July 19, 2024): When they absolutely, positively don’t want to be spotted, America’s warfighters depend on the camouflage provided by the famous Ghillie suit. In this photo by Army National Guard Sergeant Remi Milslagle, Specialist Mackenzie Jones blends into his surroundings while participating in a live-fire range exercise.
The word “ghillie” comes from the Scottish gille or outdoor servant. The name likely referred to attendants that assisted sportsman with recreational shooting. The Scotts themselves prefer to credit the Ghillie Dhu, an earth spirit covered with moss to conceal itself. The first recorded use of the Ghillie suit in combat was during the English Boer Wars in South Africa at the turn of the century and it was quickly adopted by the first English sniper units.
Modern Ghillie suits are a type of camouflage clothing designed to resemble the surrounding environment such as foliage, snow, or sand. The suit “breaks up the profile” of a shooter by creating a three-dimensional image that moves in the wind the same as the surrounding foliage. These suits are typically made of netting or cloth covered in loose strips of burlap made to look like leaves or twigs and augmented with scraps of live foliage.
Although an excellent camouflage tool, the Ghillie suit has its disadvantages. First, the suit is extremely heavy and can be ridiculously hot. Even in moderate climates, temperatures inside a Ghillie can reach 122 degrees. Moreover, the fabric retains water which dramatically increases its weight. The military is experimenting with a more light, breathable material to address the problem.
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Camp Fuji, Japan. (July 10, 2024): When you hear the word “Bazooka”, it conjures World War II images of gallant infantrymen confronting an enemy tank at point blank range. In this photo by Corporal Anna Geier, Marines with 4th Marine Regiment fire the modern version of the Bazooka, the M3E1 Multi-purpose Anti-armor Anti-personnel Weapon System or (MAAWS).
The Bazooka was adopted by the Army in World War II to attack tanks and fortified positions at extremely close range. The weapon consisted of a steel tube equipped with a hand grip, a trigger, and a sighting mechanism. Today’s MAAWS is a reloadable, recoilless rocket that is reusable and can fire illumination, smoke, and airburst rounds. It is designed for anti-personnel, armor penetration, and bunker busting. Unlike its predecessors, the MAAWS has greater range and can hit moving targets with the aid of its modern fire control system. The system incorporates an integrated laser range finder and a modular ballistic computer capable of programming high explosive air-bursting ammunition and engaging moving targets at up to 2,000 feet.
The weapon is operated by a two-man crew, a gunner who carries and fires the weapon and a loader who carries four rounds of ammunition. As the gunner takes aim, the loader checks the area behind the weapon for people and obstacles in the back-blast area. Unlike its single shot cousin, the M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW), the additional rounds available to the MAAWS increase an infantry squad’s options when attacking targets.
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Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. (July 18, 2024): NATO leaders declared this week that Ukraine joining the alliance is “irreversible”, drawing an expected angry response from Russia. In this photo by Elizabeth Fraser with Arlington National Cemetery, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Ukraine dominated the agenda at this 75th meeting of the alliance and several steps were announced to help them dislodge the Russian army from their country.
At the meeting, NATO members agreed to boost their industrial production to keep pace with Russia’s manufacturing of military supplies. The U.S., Dutch, and Danish governments announced they would be sending additional F-16 fighters to Ukraine that should be operational by summer. After extensive allied training, the first group of Ukrainian F-16 pilots graduated earlier this year.
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Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. (July 16, 2024): The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC 2024, kicks off this week with a focus on disaster and humanitarian relief. In this photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan LeCompte, a young visitor tries on Navy head gear aboard the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force amphibious transport dock ship JS Kunisaki during Open Ship Day.
The exercise is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years at Honolulu. This year eight countries participated with five ships, five landing craft, five aircraft, multiple land forces, and over 2,500 total participants. This is the 29th RIMPAC exercise that began in 1971 and the event was attended by representatives from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom. Other participating nations include Chile, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Peru, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.
This year’s emphasis is on Navy medicine and the more than 44,000 highly trained military and civilian health care professionals that provide expeditionary medical support to warfighters on, below, and above the sea, and ashore. The exercise also included amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine, and air defense exercises. Special sessions were held on counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and salvage operations. A highlight of the event was the sinking of the former USS Tarawa, an 820-foot-long amphibious assault ship that provided a target for a variety of sophisticated munitions.
RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity for participating navies while fostering cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans.
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Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. (July 11, 2024): America has a new chopper to patrol intercontinental ballistic missile fields, the Grey Wolf. In this photo by Samuel King Jr., Jake Marsh with the 96th Operations Group performs a preflight check on the new MH-139A Grey Wolf’s rotors after one of its last test flights. The Grey Wolf underwent four years of developmental testing by the 413th Flight Test Squadron and is now being delivered to nuclear bases at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, and Minot AFB, North Dakota.
The Grey Wolf replaces the UH-1N Huey that entered service in 1970. The new chopper is a joint venture between Boeing and Leonardo Aerospace and is a militarized version of the civilian AW139 helicopter that can fly faster, higher, farther, and with more weight than the aging Huey. The civilian version is currently used for VIP/corporate transport, offshore transport, firefighting, law enforcement, and search and rescue. The Air Force says the Grey Wolf can cruise fifty percent faster and farther than the Huey with a larger cabin and the ability to lift an additional five thousand pounds.
The military version is a dual-piloted, twin-engine helicopter that integrates military communication, navigation, transponder, and survivability enhancements. Key features include cockpit and cabin armor, self-sealing crashworthy fuel cells, a countermeasures dispenser set, and two externally mounted M240 machine guns. It can fly three hours, or 225 nautical miles, without refueling and is designed to carry nine combat equipped troops and their equipment.
The 96th Test Wing is the evaluation center for air-delivered weapons, navigation, guidance, and command and control systems for the Air Force.
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Fort Carson, Colorado. (July 9, 2024): Every military aircraft carries precious cargo, from billions in equipment to the irreplaceable lives of our servicemembers. Protecting America’s ability to safely transport troops and equipment is the Air Force’s top priority. In this photo Technical Sergeant Justin Norton, a C-130H Hercules belonging to the 302nd Airlift Wing expends chaff and flares during a training sortie as a part of Exercise Ivy Mass 2024. Most American combat aircraft have countermeasures to protect the crew from ground fire and heat-seeking or radar guided missiles. The main three categories of countermeasures are Infrared, Electronic, and Chaff.
Infrared Countermeasures are designed to protect aircraft from heat homing missiles by confusing the missiles' infrared guidance system so that they miss their target. These measures include firing flares which create multiple “fake” targets for the incoming missile. Heat-seeking missiles were responsible for about 80% of air losses in Operation Desert Storm during the first Gulf War.
Electronic countermeasures involve protecting communication networks from interception and jamming by enemy forces. Used offensively, these electronic devices are designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems. They are also used to disrupt enemy communications to create a fog of confusion to break up coordinated attacks. The system may make many separate targets appear to the enemy, or make the real target appear to disappear or move about randomly. This is especially helpful when dodging missiles.