DOW Support to the Southern Border

Air Force Staff Sgt. Niko Vitela, left, and Airman 1st Class Austin Williams sit on a C-130J Super Hercules cargo ramp and observe an Indonesian Air Force C-130H Hercules aircraft fly while on a training sortie during Exercise Cope West 26 in Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2026. The exercise between the U.S. and Indonesian forces is designed to improve combat readiness and interoperability.

An Air Force HC-130J Combat King II airplane and two HH-60W Jolly Green II aircraft conduct flyover practice in Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 4, 2026.

The U.S. Air Force Academy's Kemper Hodges hypes up his football teammates before a game against Duquesne University at the academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sept. 5, 2026. Air Force shut out Duquesne 34-0 for the first game of the season.

An airman assigned to the 815th Airlift Squadron reunites with his family at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., Sept. 5, 2026, after supporting airlift and mobility operations in the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility.

Airmen assigned to the Vermont Air National Guard's 158th Fighter Wing return to South Burlington, Vermont, Sept. 6, 2026, following an overseas deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

Air Force Col. Richard Kind, 97th Air Mobility Wing commander, signs his name to the commemorative beam for the new elementary school opening at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., Sept. 2, 2026.

Soldiers and airmen assigned to the Montana National Guard train with U.S. Air Force personnel and members of the Sri Lankan military in disaster response operations during Exercise Atlas Angel II in Sri Lanka, Sept. 3, 2026. The exercise allows participants to share techniques in urban search and rescue, landslide response, casualty evacuation and other emergency response capabilities.

Airmen assigned to the California National Guard's 163rd Civil Engineer Squadron work on upgrades at Seward Military Resort in Seward, Alaska, Aug. 12, 2026, during a deployment for training. The event allowed airmen to upgrade a morale, welfare and recreation facility while completing training requirements to prepare them to perform their duties in overseas and deployed environments.

Service members guide palletized equipment, to be used to provide humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of a devastating flood in Nepal, onto a C-130J Super Hercules at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Sept. 1, 2026.

An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft to refuel in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Sept. 2, 2026.

Soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border supporting Operation Ardent Vanguard attach a sling load to the hook below a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, Texas, Aug. 26, 2026. Service members assigned to the task force provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

An Air Force E-3 Sentry aircraft flies in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Aug. 26, 2026.

Airmen conduct basic preflight and postflight inspections on an MQ-9 Reaper aircraft during Northern Viking at Keflavík Air Base, Iceland, Aug. 28, 2026. The exercise was designed to prepare forces to respond decisively in an increasingly contested North Atlantic and Arctic security environment.

Airmen participate in emergency parachute and water survival training at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., Aug. 24, 2026.

An Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft maneuvers across a sand landing zone during Northern Viking in Romo, Denmark, Aug. 25, 2026. The exercise was designed to prepare forces to respond decisively in an increasingly contested North Atlantic and Arctic security environment.

An airman tests fuel from an Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy at Jose Aponte De La Torre Airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Aug. 22, 2026. U.S. forces are deployed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility to support Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, War Department-directed operations and the president's priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking, deter malign actors and protect the homeland through continuous presence.

Army Sgt. Benjamin Cordova and Spc. Daniel Gutierrez, both assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border supporting Operation Ardent Vanguard, operate a C100X monitoring drone during low-light conditions near Eagle Pass, Texas, Aug. 20, 2026. The aerial monitoring supports efforts to detect, monitor and deter unlawful crossings into the United States.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Benjamin Gonzales, a motor vehicle operator assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border in support of Operation Ardent Vanguard, helps install concertina wire on a secondary expeditionary barrier in Nogales, Ariz., Aug. 19, 2026.

Air Force Airman 1st Class Xavier Zaragoza, a firefighter assigned to the 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron, operates a fire hose during training at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Aug. 20, 2026.

Airmen assigned to the 91st Air Refueling Squadron honor the life and service of retired Air Force Col. Jesse C. Bush Jr. with a flyover above Arlington National Cemetery during his interment ceremony in Arlington, Va., Aug. 20, 2026. Bush, a World War II veteran and the last living survivor of the Berlin Airlift, served for more than 31 years.