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McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. (February 1, 2025): It may not be everyone’s idea of a day at the beach, but these Coast Guard members eagerly soak up the Antarctic sun. In this photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeremy Burgess, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star enjoys ice liberty during Operation Deep Freeze. The operation is an annual mission on behalf of the U.S. Antarctic Program to resupply outposts in the Antarctic. The Polar Star and crew operate America’s only heavy ice breaker, making them essential to U.S. research efforts at the bottom of the world.
In 1959, the U.S. and eleven other countries signed the Antarctic Treaty ensuring that the region is dedicated “solely to peaceful purposes and free from international conflict”. The United States has established three bases, McMurdo, Amundsen-Scott, and Palmer as year round research facilities.
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Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. (January 23, 2025): In 256 BC during the siege of the Persian city Dura Europos (modern Syria), Sasanian forces used a mixture of tar and sulfur to gas the enemy. Later, the Athenians resorted to poisoning water supplies with deadly herbs while the Mongols catapulted diseased corpses over the walls of a besieged city. It appears chemical and biological warfare has been a part of combat since ancient times. In this photo by Sergeant Jacquilyn Davis, Marines with II MEF Information Group walk through CS gas during a battalion field exercise. Like their warrior predecessors, the Marines must be ready to confront a wide variety of deadly Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) materials.
The first category of CBRN threats involve man-made chemical agents designed to attack the central nervous or respiratory systems. The most common “nerve agent” is Sarin, an odorless gas that causes seizures, paralysis, difficulty breathing, and death. Another category is “blister agents” including Sulfur Mustard Phosgene (Mustard Gas) that causes blindless, lung damage, and death by asphyxiation. Finally, there are “blood agents,” like Cyanide, which deprive the body of oxygen and cause death.
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Washington, D.C. (January 30, 2025): The U.S. Navy has announced plans to establish a network of underwater drones which is making America’s adversaries very nervous. In this photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman, a Manta Ray prototype submerges during initial ocean testing. This ray-shaped uncrewed drone is designed to operate independently with limited human intervention for long periods of time. The vessel is capable of conducting surveillance or it can carry a variety of missiles for offensive operations.
The Navy envisions a network of permanently submerged drone ships to continuously patrol the depths. When not on patrol, the Manta can anchor itself to the sea floor and “hibernate” at low power. The craft uses the ocean’s own energy to propel itself, or glide, through the water allowing it to roam the seas indefinitely. The Manta uses the ocean’s thermal gradient, or the difference in temperature between warm water at the surface and the cold water below, to generate electricity. In addition to harvesting the power of the ocean, the Manta uses variable buoyancy to go up or down and small propellors to make turns. If under attack, the Manta can escape by descending to depths humans cannot.
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Fort Bliss, Texas. (January 25, 2025): The President has ordered thousands of Army Soldiers and Marines to the southern border to boost security and to augment construction efforts to extend the wall. In this photo by Senior Airman Elizabeth Schoubroek, Soldiers from the 66th Military Police Company exit a Globemaster III to join the fifteen hundred active-duty troops already stationed here. This initial deployment brings the total military presence at the border to nearly 4,000 personnel.
Based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, the 66th Military Police Company is one of nine Army military police and three combat engineer battalions mobilized by the President. They will be joined by two Marine detachments from the 1st and 7th Combat Engineer Battalions out of Camp Pendleton, California.
The troops will enhance monitoring efforts and assist in repairing and placing physical barriers at the border. They will not, however, function as police officers. Under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, federal law forbids the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. The Pentagon said that the Department of Homeland Security would be in charge of law enforcement, not military personnel.
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Tucson International Airport, Arizona. (January 23, 2025): President Donald Trump this week ordered the U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Defense to augment efforts by Customs and Border Protection conducting immigration removal flights. In this photo by Senior Airman Devlin Bishop, Customs and Border Protection Agents guide migrants as they board a C-17 Globemaster III for transportation to their home countries.
The Pentagon has ordered an additional 1,500 Active-Duty troops to the southern border to join the 2,500 already based there. According to federal officials, the Air Force has begun deportation flights of some 5,400 people currently held in detention by Customs and Border Protection. The Air Force plans to use both C-17s and C-130 cargo aircraft to conduct the flights that will be carried out by over one hundred aircrew and maintainers. The Pentagon said the U.S. is seeking diplomatic clearance to land for future flights as destination countries must be willing to accept the migrants.
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Okinawa, Japan. (January 21): In this photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Austin Ingram, Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 (NMCB3) show off their construction skills while building bunkers. Based at Port Hueneme, California, NMCB3 can trace its heritage to the early days of World War II. At that time, the Navy needed construction workers to build advance bases in combat zones, likely under enemy fire. The Navy created four Construction Battalions or “CBs” (hence the nickname "Seabees") to build roads, airfields, barracks, and medical facilities.
At the start of the war, senior construction personnel were hired who were willing to adapt their civilian skills to military needs. As such, they were given more latitude to innovate and adapt their approaches to military chores which drew some teasing from by-the-book Marines. By war’s end, these legendary construction workers had built four hundred bases in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters and their efforts were vital to allied victory.