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Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. (January 21, 2023): In this photo by Senior Airman Stephani Barge, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jordan Courtney, a K-9 handler with the 378th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, sensitizes working dog Mirco to gunfire. K-9 Defenders and their handlers are required to train together around live fire to ensure the dogs can handle the stress of combat.
Military working dogs have accompanied soldiers into battle since ancient times because of their loyalty, intelligence, and trainability. The dogs train for 90-120 days to become certified in bite work, bomb, and drug detection. According to Health.mil, over 4000 military working dogs have been injured during combat operations since 1980 and the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps has established a trauma registry to record these animal’s treatments, injuries, and deaths.
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Israel. (January 23, 2023): In this photo by Specialist David Campos-Contreras, a Soldier with 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Spartan, communicates with Soldiers from his battalion through hand signals from the air guard hatch of their High Mobility Rocket Artillery System. The Americans and the Israeli Armed Forces joined forces during exercise Juniper Oak 2023, a large-scale bilateral military exercise to build teamwork among U.S. and Israeli forces.
This year, American forces trained their Israeli counterparts on the now world-famous High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) system now being employed with significant effect in Ukraine.
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Philippine Sea. (January 25, 2023): In this photo by Lance Cpl. William Wallace, U.S. Navy Lt. Catherine Cloetta, a triage officer, and U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Angel Marmolejo, a radio system operator, both with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), coordinate an extraction during a ship to shore casualty care exercise at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. The training simulated a real-life mass casualty incident to test readiness and to improve response times. The 31st MEU is operating aboard ships of USS America Amphibious Ready Group in the 7th fleet area of operations.
A mass casualty event, by nature, is chaotic. These exercises allow Marines to practice keeping their nerves under control while dealing with dozens of emergency situations at once.
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Coast Guard Air Station, New Orleans, LA. (January 26,2023): In this photo by Petty Officer First Class Gabriel Wisdom, rescue swimmer Petty Officer 2nd Class Richard Hoefle is lowered from an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter by Petty Officer 2nd Class Hunter Simpson, a flight mechanic at Air Station New Orleans. The Coast Guard launched this MH-60 aircrew from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve on missions that included a flyover of New Orleans and emergency landing and hoist training. Every branch of America’s military has a “rescue swimmer” program, but the Coast Guard is unique due to the constant stream of real-life emergencies it faces every day, from rescuing civilians in a hurricane to conducting search and operations rescues far out at sea.
Becoming a U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer is considered by many to be one of the hardest things one can do in the service. The schooling and physical training are some of the most demanding you will find in any branch of the U.S. Military.
Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers have been called upon in natural disasters like hurricanes and flooding. They routinely handle extreme rescue situations in high seas often involving frantic civilians. A rescue swimmer needs physical strength and endurance, and the mental toughness to ignore their personal safety to save others.
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Atlantic Ocean. (January 29, 2023): In this photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Mikaela McGee, U.S. Coast Guardsmen and a member of the Nigerian Navy conduct law enforcement training aboard USCGC Spencer in the Atlantic Ocean. These training sessions are part of the annual Obangame Express 2023, a multi-national maritime exercise conducted by U.S. Naval Forces Africa to improve cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea and the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
The U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, plays host to multiple navies conducting the full spectrum of joint naval operations to advance U.S. national interests and security in Europe and Africa.
Obangame Express 2023, staged in Lagos, Nigeria, includes both in-port and at-sea exercises with the Nigerian Navy and 32 other nations to improve coordination among forces. The participating nations exchanged knowledge on search and rescue operations, boarding suspect vessels, and emergency medical techniques. The goal for Obangame Express 2023 is to ensure interoperability between forces which is vital to success in combat or an emergency.
The exercise centers on the Gulf of Guinea, a vast and diverse region stretching from Senegal to Angola with approximately 3,700 miles of coastline. It is an important shipping zone transporting oil and gas, as well as goods to and from central and southern Africa.
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Marine Corps Base Honolulu, Hawaii. (January 24, 2003): In the above photo by Corporal Patrick King, Marine Sergeant Amed Issa poses for a press photo after his heroic actions while off duty in Honolulu exploded into the local media. According to local press reports, Sgt. Issa was off duty after a night spent in famous Waikiki when he came to the aid of a stranger who had been shot. He performed lifesaving techniques he learned in the Marine Corps to come to the victim’s aide. According to the Honolulu Police Department, no suspect has been arrested in the case. Sgt. Issa is a classic example of why Americans admire the Marines… Always Faithful.