GEN. Paul J. LaCamera, Commander U.S. Army Pacific, receives a spent Howitzer shell cannister during the Assumption of Command ceremony, on Palm Circle, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, Nov, 18, 2019.

The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) transits San Diego Bay. Lake Erie returned to San Diego after a deployment to the U.S. 3rd and 7th Fleet areas of operations in support of security and stability.

Airmen assigned to the 320th Special Tactics Squadron jump from a 17th Special Operations Squadron MC-130J Commando II during military freefall training at Kwajalein Atoll Nov. 16, 2019. The jump training was an essential part of Exercise Gryphon Pacific 20-1. The 353rd SOG Airmen conducted additional proficiency training to capitalize on the opportunity to hone military freefall jump capabilities.

Forward Air Refueling Point Airmen assigned to the 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan, perform refueling operations on Wake Island, Wake Atoll, during Exercise Gryphon Pacific 20-1, Nov. 15, 2019. The Airmen were attached to the 353rd Special Operations Squadron during the exercise. The purpose of Gryphon Pacific 20-1 was to employ lethal, agile, resilient forces throughout the United States Indo-Pacific area of responsibility. This was accomplished by conducting long-range expeditionary basing operations within a high threat environment.

Mike McCord, Scan Eagle site lead, and Technician Dwight Smith recover a Small Unmanned Aerial System or drone aboard USCGC Stratton (WMSL 752), in the Pacific, Oct. 31, 2019. The cutter's crew spent half of 2019 underway in support of joint operations in the Pacific.

Royal Australian Navy divers assist with the submergence and deployment of the submarine rescue vessel LR5 during Pacific Reach.

Commanding officer of Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Pioneer (MCM 9) Lt. Cmdr. Bobby Wayland, right, shakes hands with commanding officer of Japanese mine countermeasure ship JS Hirashima (MSC 601), Lt. Cmdr. Ogawa Tomoyuki. Pioneer, part of Mine Countermeasures Squadron 7, is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response platform for contingency operations.

374th Airlift Wing Airmen work on a C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron on the Yokota Air Base, Japan flightline, Nov. 12, 2019. Yokota Air Base is the Pacific’s premier power projection platform.

The crews of the USCGC Stratton (WMSL 752) and the RKS Teanoai (301) conducted a training exchange in the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 7, 2019. The two crews rendezvoused at sea and conducted maneuvers and helicopter training.

Sailors onboard Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Pioneer (MCM 9), moor the ship in the port of Aburatsu. Pioneer, part of Mine Countermeasures Squadron 7, is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response platform for contingency operations.

Dr. Jeffrey Sanders, Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) chief scientist, Katelyn McIlvaine, PACAF Booz Allen Hamilton senior consultant, Jessi Duval, PACAF Booz Allen Hamilton multi-lateral engagement coordinator, and Keith Miller, from PACAF Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs, pose for a group photo during the Science and Technology Information Exchange Meeting registration at the base theater on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii, Nov. 4, 2019. Exchanges such as these allow for open collaboration among the nation’s forward thinkers in uniform, academia and industry and help to transform the Air Force into the force of the future.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jeremy Hill presents the U.S. Marine Corps colors during the exercise Tiger TRIUMPH Opening Ceremony aboard the INS Jalashwa (L41) in Visakhapatnam, India on Nov. 14, 2019. Tiger TRIUMPH gives U.S. and Indian forces the opportunity to exchange knowledge and learn from each other as well as establish personal and professional relationships. Hill, a native of Mishawaka, Indiana, is a squad leader with 3rd Marine Division.

Sailors aboard the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) man the rails as the ship pulls into Visakhapatnam, India as part of Tiger Triumph. Germantown, part of Commander, Amphibious Squadron 11, is deployed to the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency.

U.S. Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Pacific Air Forces commander, coins Airman 1st Class Tucker Heyduk, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron barrier maintenance technician, during a tour at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 12, 2019. During the tour, Brown coined Airmen from different units as a way of thanks and recognition of their superior performance.

Official U.S. Navy file photo of USS Montgomery

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Rumke, 66th Training Squadron, Detachment 1, Arctic Survival School instructor, tests an F-35A Lightning II survival gear kit in Fairbanks, Alaska, Nov. 5, 2019. Rumke sat in minus 65 degree temperatures for six hours to test the new gear that could be used to protect F-35 pilots from subzero temperatures in the event of an ejection.

The Eleventh Air Force holds a two-day workshop for its senior enlisted leaders and civilians at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Nov. 6, 2019. More than 40 attendees from Alaska, Hawaii and Guam discussed topics on resiliency and best practices in operating a wing.

The 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight recently completed a wet-wing defuel training phase, a first at Yokota Air Base, Japan, which enables the C-130J Super Hercules crews to rapidly deliver fuel to bases all over the Pacific, Oct. 24, 2019. The process is a coordinated effort with multiple MAJCOM A3/A4’s & AFPET to ensure compliance with standards and standardize

Sailors and Marines assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) man the rails while transiting Pearl Harbor. Sailors and Marines of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are embarked on USS Boxer (LHD 4) on a regularly-scheduled deployment.

Left to right: Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Gen. Koji Yamazaki, Japan's joint staff chief of staff; and Joseph M. Young, the interim U.S. chargé d'affaires at U.S. Embassy Tokyo, pose for a photo outside the Kantei in Tokyo, Nov. 13, 2019.