DOW Support to the Southern Border

A MH-60R Sea Hawk assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77, embarked on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, deploys flares during a strike coordination and reconnaissance exercise while operating in the South China Sea, Aug. 12, 2026.

An Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 MH-60S Sea Hawk flies low over the desert during search and rescue training at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., June 15, 2026.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Kiomasa Kaminanga and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Damien Heard, both assigned to the assault ship USS Makin Island, conduct a vertical replenishment exercise with an MH-60S Sea Hawk, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23, on the flight deck, Aug. 18, 2026.

A sailor assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 1 is hoisted into a Navy MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter during expeditionary mine countermeasures training in the Pacific Ocean, June 11, 2026.

Multinational ships sail in formation during Pacific Dragon in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility, Aug. 15, 2026. The exercise was designed to improve participating forces' ability to detect, track and report on integrated air and missile defense targets.

Sailors conduct preflight maintenance on an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter during flight quarters aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, Aug. 17, 2026. The John Finn is deployed to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East.

Navy Seabees raise a large tent as part of an expeditionary camp supporting Exercise Northern Viking 26 at Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, Aug. 16, 2026. Northern Viking aims to strengthen interoperability and force readiness between the U.S., Iceland and allied nations, enabling multidomain command and control of joint and coalition forces in the defense of Iceland and sea lines of communication in the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap.

Army Spc. Domenic Hruby, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, reinforces a barrier by welding "crow's feet" rods to its upper edge at a national defense area near Santa Teresa, N.M., Aug. 12, 2026. U.S. Northern Command is working with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide unique military capabilities to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Tyson Wasley fires an M240B machine gun aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt in the Mediterranean Sea, July 9, 2026.

Sailors check for foreign objects on the flight deck of the littoral combat ship USS Cooperstown as the ship transits the Gulf of America, July 4, 2026. The ship was supporting efforts to protect the territorial integrity of the U.S. southern border.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alejandro Garcia directs an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 9 on the flight deck of the Pre-Commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy during acceptance trials, Aug. 13, 2026. Acceptance trials are a series of crew-led test events designed to demonstrate to the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey that the ship is constructed in accordance with contract specifications and that the crew is adequately trained to conduct operations at sea.

Navy Seaman Bar Htoo stands by with chocks and chains as an H225 Super Puma helicopter takes off from the flight deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin in the Indian Ocean, Aug. 11, 2026. The Mustin is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet's area of operations to preserve a free and open Pacific region.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Kendra Sisayaket, a member of the U.S. 7th Fleet Band, performs during a change of command ceremony for the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey in Yokosuka, Japan, Aug. 5, 2026.

Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft assigned to the service's flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, perform a close formation maneuver during the Arctic Thunder Open House at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 9, 2026.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Trevor Cayton uses a grinding tool in the machine shop aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in the South China Sea, Aug. 6, 2026.

An EA-18G Growler assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 140 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, Aug. 10, 2026. The ship is supporting maritime security in the Middle East.

Soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border place concertina wire on top of barriers at National Defense Area 2 near Fort Hancock, Texas, Aug. 6, 2026. The barrier reinforcement operation enhances detection and observation capabilities along the U.S. southern border.

Navy leaders from the United States, the Netherlands, Dominican Republic, Panama and Colombia pose for a picture at Base Aeronaval Cristóbal Colón, Panama, Aug. 4, 2026. Exercise Panamax 2026 seeks to improve interoperability to ensure the free flow of commerce through the Panama Canal and maintain security and stability in the region.

Navy Seaman Apprentice Alec Cosing, right, watches over a simulated hatch as Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathan Sanchez, left, and Seaman Louis Turner move forward during a security reaction force bravo course aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin in the Indian Ocean, Aug. 5, 2026.

A sailor celebrates after his pass-in-review graduation ceremony at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill., Aug. 6, 2026.