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Strait of Hormuz. (May 14, 2023): In this photo by MC2 Jacob Vernier, naval personnel from Bahrain, France, United Kingdom, and United States conduct a multilateral patrol aboard a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions are rising in the region due to attacks on commercial shipping by the Islamic Republic of Iran. For a second time this week, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seized another oil tanker in an escalation of attacks on privately owned ships operating legally in international waters. These illegal detentions threaten the freedom of navigation in this vital waterway, the choke point through which one fifth of the world’s oil flows.
The task of protecting free navigation through the Strait falls to the formidable U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain. One of the key tools to monitor air and naval traffic in the Strait is the Boeing P-8A Poseidon. This is the latest maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, for the United States Navy.
The Poseidon is a multi-mission aircraft used for maritime patrols to monitor vessels on and below the surface. Its design is based on the commercial Boeing 737-800 fuselage that has been substantially modified to include a weapons bay, increased electrical generation capacity, and strengthened wings for military operations.
The Poseidon has modern surveillance sensors, electronic counter measures, and a suite of radios, data links, and satellite communications gear. With a fuel capacity of almost 34 tons, the Poseidon can remain on station as far as 1,200 miles from base.
It is armed with torpedoes and Harpoon anti-ship missiles and can drop and monitor sonobuoys to detect enemy submarines. The Poseidon also deploys the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle.
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West Point, New York. (May 13, 2023): You can see it in their eyes, a sense of awe in knowing they are in the presence of a real live American hero. In this photo by Sergeant 1st Class Jared Gehmann, Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee speaks to cadets at the United States Army Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., just one of many stops in a continuous tour of Army posts around the world. MSgt. Plumlee spoke to these future officers about making tough decisions while in combat and the lessons he learned on leadership throughout his military career. Plumlee’s story is one of epic struggles to survive and one man’s determination to never give up the fight.
Plumlee received the military’s highest honor for actions against insurgents who attacked a U.S. outpost near Ghazni, Afghanistan, in August 2013. Plumlee, a weapons sergeant assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) was outnumbered and armed with only a pistol when he took on 10 heavily armed insurgents. In a series on daring maneuvers, Plumlee advanced on the enemy again and again braving heavy fire including several grenades.
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Grasmere, Idaho. (May 8, 2023): When one thinks “Air Force”, images of fighter jocks and crisp blue uniforms come immediately to mind. In the picture above by Lance Corporal Juan Torres, Marines from the 1st Marine Division locate their targets alongside Air Force Joint Terminal Attack Controllers at Saylor Creek Range at Grasmere, Idaho. Marines and Air Force personnel teamed up to test their skills in realistic combat conditions during Exercise Garnet Rattler held here recently.
A Joint Terminal Attack Controller JTACs (also called Forward Observers) directs the actions of attacking military aircraft engaged in close air support of Marine units on the ground and they do so often well behind enemy lines. Exercise Garnet Rattler centers around a comprehensive training program to enhance coordination between Air Force joint terminal attack controllers and other Marine Corps personnel involved in ground operations. The exercise involved 11 Marines undergoing advanced training as JTACs in simulated urban terrain using live ammunition and aided by close air support from neighboring units.
The training program included advanced technology, such as the Target Handoff System version 2.0, which allows JTACs to communicate with other units and provide critical information to the ground force commander. Saylor Creek is one of only a handful of firing ranges that can accommodate live fire exercises to hone close air support skills.
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St. Louis, Missouri. (May 8, 2023): In this photo by MC2 Jason Waite, Sailors from across the fleet are in Missouri for St. Louis Navy Week to emphasize the importance of the U.S. Navy to the state of Missouri and to participate in various community events. Navy Weeks is designed to develop a bond between Americans and their Navy and to showcase why today's Navy is important to America's prosperity and its national defense.
This year’s event took place at Whiteside Middle School in Belleville, Missouri and featured a command performance by the Navy Band Great Lakes to the delight of the children, their parents, teachers, and staff. The students got a chance to interact with the musicians and ask questions about the types of jobs available in today’s Navy.
The Navy Band Great Lakes was formed in 1918 during the final months of World War I. Initially used to sell war bonds, the band soon grew to over 350 Sailors and became what President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed, "the greatest band in the world.”
Another local school, Sigel Elementary, was treated to a ceremonial guard display by the Navy’s famous exhibition drill team. Established in 1931, the drill team conducts Navy funerals at Arlington National Cemetery for America’s fallen.
The Navy invests heavily to connect with their host communities and to promote public support for our nation’s Sailors and Marines.
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Hurlburt Field, Florida. (May 12, 2023): They go where others fear to go and do what must be done to protect this great nation. They are the Air Force 24th Special Operations Wing. the very cream of U.S. military aviation. In the above photo by Technical Sergeant Jael Laborn, Air Force Special Tactics operators conduct static line jump training during Emerald Warrior 2023, the largest joint exercise involving U.S. Special Operations Command forces each year.
The 16th annual Emerald Warrior exercise was held at multiple locations across Florida and Puerto Rico and featured one of the most sophisticated and versatile aircraft in the U.S. inventory, the MC-130H Combat Talon II.
The Combat Talon II’s mission is to infiltrate, resupply, and extricate special operations forces and equipment in hostile or denied territory. Its secondary mission includes psychological operations and helicopter air refueling.
The aircraft features terrain-following radars that allow the Talon to fly “nape of the earth” at altitudes as low as 250 feet, even in adverse weather conditions. Recent changes to the basic C-130 include the addition of a receptacle that allows for in-flight refueling of special operations forces and combat search and rescue helicopters. Its navigation system includes dual ring-laser gyros, mission computers, and an integrated global positioning system that allows the Talon to locate and either land or airdrop on small, unmarked zones with pinpoint accuracy day or night. The Talon is protected by an extensive electronic warfare system that enables the aircrew to detect and avoid potential threats.
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Knoxville, Tennessee. (May 5, 2023): An outing in the wilderness nearly turned tragic for a hunter if it were not for the skill and bravery of a Tennessee Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew. In the photo above, Crew Chief Sgt. Nicholas Kannard prepares to lower flight medic Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Banta to rescue the injured hunter who desperately needed medical attention.
The call came into the Tennessee Military Department and Emergency Management Agency that a person with severe leg injuries needed rescue from a rugged and remote area of the Cherokee National Forest. The 230th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the Tennessee National Guard sprang into action. Flying the versatile UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, the aircrew arrived at the rescue site within 20 minutes.
The flight crew consisted of two pilots, Capt. Brandon Rodriguez and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Backus, crew chief Sgt. Nicholas Kannard and two flight paramedics, Sgt. 1st Class Nolan Ogle and Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Banta.
The crew chief, Kannard, lowered flight medic Sgt. Banta to the ground to assess the patient and prepare him for airlift. The patient and Banta were hoisted into the Blackhawk hovering above where additional medical treatment was provided. The rescue took just 13 minutes. Once everyone was safely on board, the aircraft flew to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The entire rescue mission took less than an hour and a half.