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Travis Air Force Base, California. (March 25, 2024): In a job that truly requires a “Jack of All Trades”, Air Force Propulsion Journeymen are charged with repairing and maintaining some of the most sophisticated aircraft in the world. In this photo by Airman Colleen Anthony, Airman 1st Class Lyric Kennedy, an aerospace propulsion journeyman with the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, performs maintenance on one of the four engines on the giant C-17 Globemaster III transport plane.
Aerospace Propulsion specialists are the prime reason our aircraft keep flying.
They evaluate, maintain, and repair jet engines on virtually anything the Air Force flies. Their duties include troubleshooting engine problems and determining repair procedures and can even replace entire engines “on the fly.” These talented mechanics also install, inspect, and repair a variety of engine components including propellers. Their knowledge of the intricacies of complex propulsion systems is vital to keeping aircraft serviced so they can be ready to go at a moment’s notice.
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Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. (March 29, 2024): In this photo by Senior Airman Natalie Vandergriff, a Special Tactics Airman assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing conducts a military free fall during Emerald Warrior. Exercise Emerald Warrior prepares Special Operations Command forces to respond to a variety of potential threats.
This year’s event featured operations in three extreme cold weather environments throughout the midwestern United States. Air commandos trained in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear readiness, and a new decontamination system for the first time.
Training is conducted at multiple locations that mirror the geographical features our forces will most likely encounter when deployed. Participants took part in realistic training on multiple days at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico; Hurlburt Field, Florida, and both Camp McCain and Camp Shelby, Mississippi.
In its seventeenth year, Emerald Warrior today is focused less on direct action and more on cyberwarfare, intelligence gathering, space warfare, and information operations. Special Operators practiced airfield security, personnel recovery, and casualty evacuation. Space operations also played a prominent role including satellite communications, electronic warfare, and electronic surveillance.
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Sofia, Bulgaria, (March 23, 2024): “Fearless men who jump and die, men who mean just what they say, the brave men of the Green Beret.” These immortal words from the Ballad of the Green Beret, written by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler during the Vietnam War, became one of the top ten songs of the era. These storied warriors have been featured in countless films and media accounts for their intelligence, skills, and fearlessness.
Just who are the Green Berets?
In the above photo by Sergeant Alejandro Lucero, Army Green Berets provide security with Bulgarian and Romanian special operations forces soldiers during recent joint maneuvers in this NATO country. The exercise is typical for the elite Green Berets who work in small teams and specialize in psychological and guerrilla operations.
What sets them apart from conventional forces is the intensive language and cultural training they receive for countries within their regional area of responsibility. Their core mission is unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counterterrorism, and special reconnaissance. These small units emphasize language, cultural, and training skills in working with foreign troops. Recruits are required to learn a foreign language and must maintain knowledge of the political, economic, and cultural complexities of the regions in which they are deployed. Other Special Forces missions include combat search and rescue, counter-narcotics, hostage rescue, and humanitarian assistance.
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Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. (March 28, 2024): In a simulated disaster, a gas leak has resulted in an explosion on base resulting in mass casualties and many victims suffering exposure to hazardous chemicals. In this photo by Samuel King Jr., Senior Airman Axel Rojas, 96th Civil Engineer Group, hoses down Airman Aaron Patrimonio, 96th Medical Group, during mass casualty exercise Ready Eagle II. The exercise challenged the 96th medics and firefighters to respond through the entire medical process, from triage and decontamination to higher-level care.
Ready Eagle II is a three-day long program that progresses from classroom work to tabletop exercises before concluding with a realistic simulated mass casualty event. For the final evaluation, instructors gauged the Airmen’s ability to respond to the threat by performing decontamination and triage on patients.
The Airmen practiced their Tactical Combat Casualty Care, the decontamination process, and executing their medical contingency response plan in a high-tempo situation. The exercise scenario involved chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives and involved more than thirty simulated patients. The patients wore special effects makeup to replicate various injuries to add a sense of realism.
Medical teams treated simulated patients at the incident site, transported them to decontamination sites, conducted triage, and stabilized them for transport. Airmen began treating patients after determining the proper prioritization by gathering their information, applying bandages or tourniquets, and moving them to a simulated ambulance loading area.
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Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. (March 31, 2024): In the above photo, members of the Air Force Civil Air Patrol (CAP) practice land navigation as part of search and rescue training held here recently. During the exercise, volunteers used a compass while conducting a search and rescue in a lost-person scenario, a typical emergency in which the patrol is called on to assist.
The CAP is a federally funded non-profit corporation that serves as the Air Force auxiliary that supports America’s communities in an emergency. CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership of cadets ranging from twelve to just under 21 years of age. The CAP is a major operator of single-engine general aviation aircraft used in the execution of its various missions, including orientation flights for cadets and the provision of emergency services. Because of these extensive flying opportunities, many CAP members become licensed pilots.
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Fort Irwin, California. (March 29, 2024): The Russian invaders in Ukraine have found themselves on the business end of an American-made nightmare… the “Ghost” drone. In this photo by Staff Sergeant LaShic Patterson, Staff Sergeant Stetson Manuel, a Robotics and Autonomous Systems platoon sergeant and infantryman assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, 316th Cavalry Brigade, assembles the Ghost-X Unmanned Aircraft System during the human machine integration experiment. The Ghost Drone made its combat debut on the battlefields of Ukraine where its nearly silent flight and deadly payloads have terrified Russian troops.
The Army is evaluating upgrades to the unmanned aircraft system developed by Anduril Industries. The Ghost-X represents the latest advancement in autonomous vehicles designed for reconnaissance, perimeter security, and force protection missions.
Ghost-X stands out for its portability and ease of deployment across various operational environments. Engineered for expeditionary use, the system can be compacted into a slim rifle case or a tactical soft case, enabling a single operator to assemble and prepare it for flight in less than two minutes without the need for tools.
These key advances give the Ghost-X greater autonomy through onboard computing and computer vision algorithms that detect, classify, and track objects of interest while intelligently navigating terrain and airspace.
It boasts an impressive endurance of 75 minutes on a single cruise and has a range of 15.5 miles without the need for frequent recharging or refueling. It can carry payloads of up to twenty pounds and the package is easily transportable weighing only fifty-five pounds.
The most striking aspect of the “Ghost” is it’s nearly silent operation. Using this muffling technology, the Ghost can sneak up on enemy soldiers to deliver its deadly payload before they know what hit them.