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Sattahip, Thailand. (February 26, 2025): If you are a Marine looking for a jungle to play in, there is no better place than the triple canopy forests of Thailand. In this photo by Corporal Migel A. Reynosa, Corporal Jayden Reed learns snake manipulation techniques from a Royal Thai Armed Forces service member during a jungle survival class. The Marines are participating in Exercise Cobra Gold 2025, the oldest and largest combined exercise in mainland Asia. Started in 1982, this years event included 3,200 U.S. personnel and forces from Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia.
While not rumbling in the jungle, American forces trained with their Thai counterparts to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies. Teams practiced responding to collapsed buildings, chemical spills, and how to provide mass medical care. Other units held command and control exercises with Royal Thai Marines in the dense jungles of this island nation.
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Finland. (March 7, 2025): In nature, the Puma is known for its stealth and keen eyesight. In the skies above the Baltic Sea, it is a pair of American eyes that never blink. In this photo by Lance Corporal Brian Bolin Jr., Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Kepono Gowan launches an RQ-20 Puma unmanned aircraft system during Operation Baltic Sentry 25. This NATO-led operation is in response to the sabotage of vital underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
The alliance is responding to attacks against energy and data cables between Finland and Estonia that occurred at the end of December 2024. These cables are essential because they transmit both electricity and more than 95% of internet traffic between these Nordic countries. They also carry an estimated 10 trillion-dollars’ worth of financial transactions every day.
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Parris Island, South Carolina. (February 26, 2025): It seems only natural that the All-Marine Corps men’s golf team would emerge as champions on this hallowed ground. In this photo by EJ Hersom with DOD, Air Force Technical Sergeant Dalton Dishman hits a golf ball out of a sand trap during the 2025 Armed Forces Golf Championship at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Parris Island is legendary for all those who successfully endured its tortures to become U.S. Marines.
The four-day 72-hole medal play tournament format brought together teams from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force.
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Pacific Palisades, California. (March 3, 2025): When it comes to wildfires, the danger isn’t over when the flames go out. In this photo by Lance Corporal Jeslianne Torres, Corporal Cameron Bettencourt guides a winch to remove dangerous hazardous waste from the debris of a suburban home. At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Northern Command deployed roughly 170 active-duty personnel to help contain and remove hazardous materials created by the Eaton and Palisades fires.
According to FEMA, the fires that broke out January 7th killed twenty-nine people and burned over 37,000 acres. Over sixteen thousand structures were destroyed, mostly in urban areas, containing numerous sources of hazardous materials. Common household items, such as propane tanks, paints, automotive oils, herbicides, and pesticides are extremely toxic when burned. Of particular concern are lithium-ion batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles. These batteries can spontaneously re-ignite and explode emitting toxic gases and particulates into the atmosphere. Burning certain materials like plastics, treated wood, and electronics releases harmful chemicals like dioxins, benzene, and heavy metals that are linked to cancer. Also, ash from the fires can leach into the soil and contaminate groundwater.
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Msata, Tanzania. (February 11, 2025): It is the oldest continuously inhabited place on earth, home to majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, and one of many exotic places U.S. troops get to train. In this photo by Sergeant Michael Knight, a U.S. soldier drills with a Tanzania People’s Defense Force (TPDF) soldier while participating in Operation Justified Accord. Hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, Justified Accord is the U.S. Africa Command's largest exercise involving approximately 1,300 personnel from fifteen countries. The training included multiple scenarios combining field training with live fire events as well as maritime and special operations.
In addition to sharpening their warfighting skills, participants also trained for potential peace keeping duties under the United Nations. It was also a chance to better coordinate humanitarian relief in an emergency. Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest countries with an estimated seventy percent living in poverty, mostly in rural areas. During Justified Accord, healthcare providers held civic action programs to provide veterinary services to livestock. In such a rural environment, a large portion of a family’s wealth is tied to their animals and vet services are greatly appreciated by locals. In addition to animal health, medical teams provided free healthcare to between 750 to 900 patients over a two-day period.
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Camp Tapa, Estonia. (February 19, 2025): America’s has the most powerful military in the world… and we’re still throwing Molotov Cocktails? In this photo by Private First-Class Nathan Arellano Tlaczani, Staff Sergeant Scottie Geil from Abel Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, throws a Molotov cocktail during a joint training exercise with Estonian and British soldiers. Although these improvised explosives are not part of official American military gear, U.S. troops nevertheless learn how to make and deploy them.
This isn’t the first time the U.S. military has used such improvised devices in war. At the beginning of World War II, America was unprepared and low on arms and munitions. In 1942, the U.S. developed the M-1 Frangible, a Molotov cocktail-style device consisting of a pint-sized clear glass bottle filled with explosives. It was called "frangible" because it was made of glass that was brittle and easily broken. For the Americans, these “grenades” were uncomplicated weapons that were a stop gap until more effective devices could be developed.
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