A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor with the 94th Fighter Squadron prepares for flight operations out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Nov. 19, 2020. The F-35 Lightning II and the F-22 Raptor, both 5th generation fighter aircraft, represent the pinnacle of advanced fighter attack aircraft capabilities and are strategically forward-postured in the Indo-Pacific to maintain regional peace and security. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jackson Ricker)
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Anthony Demartini, a UH-1Y Venom helicopter crew chief with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469), travels to conduct casualty evacuation drills at Torii Station, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 23, 2020. This training maintains readiness, combat proficiency and enhances interoperability essential for joint and combined military operations in austere, expeditionary environments within the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dalton J. Payne)
A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper helicopter, with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469, fires an Air Intercept Missile (AIM-9 Sidewinder missile) during a live-fire training event near Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 29, 2020. HMLA-469 conducted a live-fire exercise using AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to improve proficiency with the weapon system. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ethan M. LeBlanc)
U.S. Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF), Expeditionary Operation Training Group (EOTG) with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469), conduct special patrol insertion/extraction and helicopter rappel training at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 23, 2020. EOTG trains Marines before being attached to Marine Expeditionary Units, where they will conduct operations using these techniques. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dalton J. Payne)
U.S. Army Soldiers with Special Forces Group 1-1 and Marines from 3rd Marine Raider Battalion with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469), conduct casualty evacuation drills at Torii Station, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 23, 2020. This training maintains readiness, combat proficiency and enhances interoperability essential for joint and combined military operations in austere, expeditionary environments within the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dalton J. Payne)
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Eliecer Echavarria, a point operator with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 172, provides hand signals to indicate the number of gallons going into the MV-22 Osprey in support of assault support aircraft from 1st Marine Aircraft Wing during Operation Lightning Strike, Aug. 6, 2020, at Ie Shima Training Facility, Okinawa, Japan. The purpose of the training was to prepare Prospective Weapons and Tactics Instructor (PWTI) students for what to expect when they attend future WTI courses. MWSS-172’s role was to provide the Forward Arming and Refueling Point to expand the combat radius and allow aviation ground support closer to the objective. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Karis Mattingly)