The military has very talented photographers in the ranks, and they’re always capturing what life as a service member is like during training and at war. Here are the best military photos of the week:
Air Force:
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jojie Arcega, a loadmaster with the 36th Airlift Squadron, pushes a practice bundle from a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft during Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 8, 2017, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Over the course of 12 days, members of OCD provide critical supplies to 56 Micronesian islands, impacting about 20,000 people covering 1.8 million square nautical miles of operating area.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stands by for takeoff Dec. 5, 2017, at Gwangju Air Base, Republic of Korea during Exercise Vigilant Ace-18. Vigilant Ace gives aircrews and air support operations personnel from various airframes, military services and ROK partners an opportunity to integrate and practice combat operations against realistic air and ground threats.
Army:
Soldiers assigned to the 6th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, conduct a parachute insertion and foot march on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Dec. 5, 2017. The jump was part of a larger situational training exercise to test the Soldiers proficiency with combat related tasks.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas, dismount an M-1 Abrams tank during training Dec. 6, 2017 at Smardan Training Area, in Smardan, Romania. The crews are required to qualify as a team if any member leaves or joins, or re-qualify every six months.
Navy:
U.S. Navy Culinary Specialist 3rd Class James Washington, from Dallas, left, and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Cole Sams, from Salem, Ore., lower the ensign aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) as the ship departs Naval Air Station North Island, Dec. 6, 2017, in the Pacific Ocean. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is on a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific. The U.S. Navy has patrolled the Indo-Asia-Pacific region routinely for more than 70 years promoting peace and security.
An MH-60R Sea Hawk attached to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70 descends to land aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). The ship is in port Norfolk, Virginia, conducting routine maintenance after a seven-month deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.
Marine Corps:
Marines sight-in on a target with an M777 A2 howitzer during a direct-fire exercise at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Dec. 4, 2017. The M777 provides timely, accurate and continuous indirect fire support, while having the capability to engage targets directly in the event of enemy contact. The Marines are with 1st Battalion 10th Marine Regiment.
U.S. Marines conduct simulated village raids at the Jungle Warfare Training Center in Okinawa, Japan, December 5, 2017, during the 3rd Marine Division Annual Squad Competition. The raids were a timed event in which the Marines had to hike and raid the village within two hours. The squad competition is conducted to test and compare each unit to see which is the fittest for combat. The squads are with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment; 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and Combat Assault Battalion.
Coast Guard:
A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew searches the Gastineau Channel in Juneau, Alaska, for two men in the water after their skiff capsized Dec. 6, 2017. Five people were aboard the vessel when it capsized, one of which was rescued by the Coast Guard and two were able to safely swim to shore.
Members of the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba crew stand next to approximately 12.4 tons of cocaine Dec. 7, 2017, aboard the cutter at Port Everglades Cruiseport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba offloaded the cocaine in Port Everglades worth an estimated $378 million wholesale interdicted in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean between mid-October and late November.
