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Undisclosed Location. East Africa. (January 9, 2024): One of the most daring, and dangerous, techniques to insert warfighters into combat is by way of a HALO jump. In this photo by Staff Sergeant Allison Payne, Air Force operators assigned to the 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron and Joint Personnel Recovery Center perform HALO jumps from Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules cargo aircraft. HALO stands for high altitude-low opening military free falls and is a method to deliver people and supplies via parachute insertion. In the HALO technique, the parachutist opens the parachute at a low altitude after free-falling for a lengthy period before pulling the cord. The technique allows pilots to remain at altitude out of range of ground fire or missiles while increasing the stealth and accuracy of insertions.
The chief danger of HALO jumps is the lack of oxygen at high altitude and the risk of passing out from hypoxia (insufficient oxygen). Special Operators jump from altitudes between 30 and 40 thousand feet, and fee fall to as low as eight hundred feet above the ground. Military parachutists have been clocked at up to 126 mph while achieving jump times under two minutes.
The HALO was first developed in the 1960s for military use and the first jump was accomplished by Colonel Joseph Kittinger, a leap from nineteen miles above the world’s surface. The first use of the HALO in combat was during Vietnam where the technique was used by special forces for recon insertions and the tactic continues to be a staple for U.S. Special Operators.
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Pasadena, California. (January 17, 2024): In this photo by Corporal Kristina Judy, the Marine Corps' Mounted Color Guard carries the American Flag and the Marine Corps Standard in the 135th Rose Parade. The Rose Parade is part of the annual Tournament of Roses celebration that includes various floats, bands, dancers, and equestrian units. As the only mounted color guard in the Marine Corps, it is quite an honor to be selected to represent America at patriotic events across the nation.
Marines who join the color guard have little or no equestrian experience so they are trained by civilian horse whisperers to ride and maintain horses and operate a ranch effectively. The horses in the unit are wild mustangs adopted from the Bureau of Land Management's Adopt a Horse and Burro Program. Before they are adopted by the team, these horses are “green broken” by federal inmates meaning they are only partially trained and only recently learned to be under saddle.
Initially, Marine stablemen establish a training routine designed to bond rider and horse so that trust and cooperation is firmly established. Next, they work in arenas where they are sensitized to loud noises and moving crowds so that the horses relax and trust their handlers.
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McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. (January 16, 2024): In this photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Graves, the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Polar Star participates in an ice liberty to give the crew a moment to walk on the ice and “tow” the vessel. The nation’s only active icebreaker, the Polar Star recently completed its annual mission to clear a navigational channel to U.S. facilities in Antarctica. Officially called Operation Deep Freeze, this joint mission with the National Science Foundation uses the Polar Star to cut through ice up to twenty-one feet thick to allow ships to deliver fuel and essential supplies to America’s Antarctic stations with McMurdo Station as the logistics hub.
For 75 years, Operation Deep Freeze employs active and reserve members of the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard to brave the harsh Antarctic weather to resupply some 700 NSF research facilities while the southernmost continent has 24 hours of daylight.
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Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. (January 10, 2024): The face of warfare is changing. Rather than the large land operations of World War II, today’s infantry troops find themselves fighting in urban environments where the rules are different. In this photo by Corporal Osmar Gutierrez, Marine Corporal Cole Kitchin, an antitank missile gunner with Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, posts security while participating in urbanized terrain training at Camp Hansen, Okinawa.
Officially called Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT), the course teaches Marines how to plan, organize, and launch successful combat operations in an urban environment. America has learned from bitter experience the challenges of close quarter combat in places like Fallujah, Iraq and is determined to overcome them.
There are many complicating factors in urban warfare, including the presence of civilians and the difficulty of urban terrain. Also, combat in a city negates many advantages of modern armies in armor, heavy artillery, and air support. Ambushes by small groups of insurgents using handheld anti-tank weapons can cause havoc while the technically superior side is hesitant to use artillery or air power for fear of killing civilians. Worse, experience has shown some fanatics deliberately mix with the population using innocent civilians as human shields.
Even worse, it is often difficult to distinguish between civilians and armed militias or local gangs. The enemy often has detailed knowledge of buildings, alleyways, and escape routes and may enjoy the active support of the locals. Destroyed buildings provide excellent posts for snipers and the rubble-filled streets provide multiple places for booby traps.
Finally, commanders must worry about the underground threat posed by tunnels and sewers where insurgents can move undetected about the city, springing ambushes and then disappearing.
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Naval Air Station Mayport, Florida. (January 4, 2024): A joyful reunion! In this photo by MC1 Brandon J. Vinson, a Sailor assigned to the Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner hugs his family after arriving at Naval Station Mayport after an eight-month deployment. The Hudner deployed as a part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Red Sea to protect freedom of navigation in this vital waterway. During the deployment, the Hudner, a guided missile destroyer, shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. According to Central Command, the warship shot the drones while on patrol in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, a major waterway vital to the world economy. There was no damage to the ship or injuries to her crew.
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Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (January 12, 2024): Unlike their civilian counterparts, Air Force Fire Protection Specials face hazards that are unique to flight operations. In this photo by Senior Airman Zachary Rufus, Airman 1st Class Kyle Datu and Staff Sergeant Matt Trevizo with the 99th Civil Engineering Squadron extinguish a fire during an aircraft live fire training exercise. The training employed propane ignitors built into multiple positions throughout and around the training fuselage to give firefighters a realistic training environment.
Air Force Firefighters must deal with everything from grass fires to exploding rocket fuel and be ready to respond to aircraft emergencies around the clock. They are also responsible for specialized rescues, hazardous material responses, and even weapons of mass destruction. Air Force Firefighters are required to complete these training sessions twice a year under both day and night conditions to maintain their certification.