WATERS SOUTH OF JAPAN (Feb. 26, 2017) A close-in weapon system (CIWS) fires during a training exercise aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) during MultiSail 17. MultiSail 17 is a bilateral training exercise improving interoperability between the U.S. and Japanese forces. This exercise benefits from realistic, shared training enhancing our ability to work together to confront any contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher A. Veloicaza/Released)

Its 00.34hrs at Kings Cross on Saturday 11th August 2012 and with plenty of passengers making their way home from the various Olympic venues across London the station is still busy, FCC Class 365 No. 365509 is in platform 8 and the rear unit forming Olympic special 1P36 01.01 to Peterborough. DBS Class 67 No. 67029 'Royal Diamond' is on the stops of platform 7 having worked in 5Z20 21.55 from Wembley - an Olympic contingency special ( that was not required ). The passengers on the right are looking at the name plate on the 67 prior to joining an 91/MK4 EC special on platfrom 6 departing at 00.55 to Leeds.

TAPA, Estonia – Soldiers assigned to Wolf Company, 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion, Latvian Army, stops while on patrol in the woods during a training lane with 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, U.S. Army, and Finnish and Estonian Armies, June 18, 2016 in Tapa, Estonia for Saber Strike 16. Saber Strike is a long-standing U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise designed to improve joint interoperability through a range of missions that prepare the 13 participating nations to support multinational contingency operations. The exercise serves as an effective proving ground for units to validate their ability to assemble rapid-reaction forces and deploy them on short notice where needed.

(Photo by: Staff Sgt. Jennifer Bunn, 2nd Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs)

Aerial porters from the Kentucky Air National Guardâs 123rd Contingency Response Group off-load the unitâs gear from a Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 4, 2014, in support of Operation United Assistance. More than 70 Kentucky Airmen arrived with the gear to stand up an Intermediate Staging Base at the airport that will funnel humanitarian supplies and equipment into West Africa as part of the international effort to fight Ebola. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Honors.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, deputy commanding general, operations, U.S. Forces-Iraq, presents the Purple Heart Award to Sgt. 1st Class Isaac McKee, platoon sergeant, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, during a ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Jan. 25, 2011. McKee, a native of New Braunfels, Texas, received the award for wounds sustained during an attack on his platoon, Dec. 26, 2010, while deployed as a part of the 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division in support of Operation New Dawn.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Specialist Rodolfo Moreno, a finance specialist with the 4th Financial Management Company, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, conducts routine checks and services on a kiosk outside of his office at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Aug. 18, 2011.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Robert DeDeaux, 1st AATF PAO, 1st Inf. Div., USD-N)

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing (CRW) based at Travis Air Force Base, CA, deploy to Central African Republic (CAR) for humanitarian support, on December 13, 2013. AFRICOM is beginning to transport African troops from Burundi to CAR using US Air Force C-17 aircraft operating out of Entebbe as part of a larger effort of African nations supporting the African crisis in CAR. C-17s will to fly about a dozen missions from Entebbe over a week time frame, transporting a Burundian light infantry battalion of about 850 men and equipment from Bujumbura to Bangui in CAR. The C-17âs are staged at Entebbe airport as a convenient mid-way point with the proper facilities to service the aircraft and support aircrews. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

Pathfinders from the Standing Contingency Force await to embark on CH124B Sea King.

The Integrated Tactical Effects Experiment (ITEE), taking place on the eastern seaboard from 2-20 November, 2006 is a significant exercise within the Standing Contingency Force (SCF) concept of operation. The aim of the exercise is to evaluate and define the feasibility of the deployment and maintenance of a high readiness sea based and seaborne joint expeditionary task force for Canada.

Participating in the ITEE are Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen and women, along with ships from the Naval Task Group, G-Wagons, Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV) III and Sea King helicopters modified for troop transport.

Key to the experiment is the expertise of the U.S. Navy combined with the U.S. Marine Corps mentorship and the lending of USS Gunston Hall, an amphibious assault ship embarking CF Staff and troops required to test the SCF concept.

MP shakes hands with USD-N commander.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Major General David G. Perkins, commanding general of U.S. Division – North and 4th Infantry Division, meets with Pfc. Isaac Wieboldt, a military policeman assigned to the 105th Military Police Company during a visit to Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, July 2, 2011. Perkins presented Wieboldt, a native of Rochester, N.Y., and five other Soldiers with division coins, and thanked all the Soldiers at COS Marez for their service and sacrifice in support of Operation New Dawn. The 105th MP Company is part of the New York National Guard, and is currently attached to the 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Terence Ewings, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N)

SAN DIEGO (April 20, 2017) Vice Adm. Nora Tyson, commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet, salutes the sideboys during the Amphibious Squadron Three change of command in the hangar bay aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). America is an aviation centric amphibious assault ship that supports Marine aviation requirements, from small-scale contingency operations of an expeditionary strike group, to forcible entry missions in major theaters of war. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ramon Go/Released)

Attention to orders.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, right, deputy commanding general of operations, U.S. Forces-Iraq, and Sgt. 1st Class Isaac McKee, platoon sergeant, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, stand at attention as orders to present a Purple Heart Award are read during a ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Jan. 25, 2011. McKee was injured during an attack on his platoon while conducting operations in support of 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, deployed in support of Operation New Dawn. McKee’s vehicle came under attack while on a patrol, knocking McKee unconscious. The Company B Soldiers reacted quickly to the attack, assessed the situation and returned to COS Warrior. “We are definitely a team” said McKee, a native of New Braunfels, Texas. “They responded just as I expected them to; we had trained significantly for this deployment, and they responded the way we trained.”

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

Master Sgt. Michael Bonds, senior enlisted advisor, 903rd Contingency Contracting Battalion, reads to 3rd graders at Vogelweh Elementary School in Kaiserslautern, Germany as part of a 'Professional Reading in the Classroom' program the 409th Contracting Support Brigade is hosting to encourage it's soldiers and employees to get out and volunteer.

(Photo credit: Linda Cotterman, Vogelweh Elementary School)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Members of the expanded Combined Security Force “Golden Lions” conduct a presence patrol in a village north of Kirkuk City, Iraq, July 19, 2011. The Golden Lions conducted their first patrol as a full-strength battalion following the recent graduation of the final company of trainees.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Strayer, 109th MPAD, USD – N)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – An Iraqi Army helicopter hovers over an outer defense cordon created by armored vehicles from 12th IA Division during a live fire exercise for Operation Lion’s Leap, April 19, 2011. The live fire exercise, a practice event for the main operation later this month, culminated as Iraqi Special Operations moved in on the final objective after an air assault insertion.

(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Chad Ashe, USD-N PAO)

Members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, augmented by Airmen from the active-duty Air Force and Air National Guard units in multiple states, download a mobile cell-phone tower truck from a U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the wake of Hurricane Maria Oct. 6, 2017. The truck will be used to help restore cell-phone service on the island. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Dale Greer)

Using the current.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPICHER, Iraq – Soldiers assigned to 299th Engineer Company, 724th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade use M2K Combat Bridge Boats to dismantle an Improvised Rafting Bridge on the Tigris River near Sharqat, Iraq, Jan. 23, 2011. The same morning approximately one mile upriver a new permanent bridge built by Iraqi hands opened to traffic for the first time, providing safe reliable transit to the region. The opening of the new Sharqat Bridge allowed the U.S. Army National Guard unit to remove the IRB from the Tigris River.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

1st Lt. Michael Lohse, a physical therapist with the 256th Combat Support Hospital, sits down with a patient to conduct a consultation at the physical therapy clinic at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Jan. 13. Lohse, who calls Ettrick, Wisc. home, discusses possible solutions to the back pain problem that Staff Sgt. David DeMaris, Company A, 601st Area Support Battalion, has been having. Over 50% of the patients that we see come in with injuries or soreness that they incurred during some form of physical training, Lohse said. The 256th CSH has facilities in several locations across U.S. Division North including three physical therapy clinics like the one located on COB Speicher.

(U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. David Strayer, 109th MPAD, USD-N)

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing (CRW) based at Travis Air Force Base, CA, deploy to Central African Republic (CAR) for humanitarian support, on December 13, 2013. AFRICOM is beginning to transport African troops from Burundi to CAR using US Air Force C-17 aircraft operating out of Entebbe as part of a larger effort of African nations supporting the African crisis in CAR. C-17s will to fly about a dozen missions from Entebbe over a week time frame, transporting a Burundian light infantry battalion of about 850 men and equipment from Bujumbura to Bangui in CAR. The C-17âs are staged at Entebbe airport as a convenient mid-way point with the proper facilities to service the aircraft and support aircrews. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing (CRW) based at Travis Air Force Base, CA, deploy to Central African Republic (CAR) for humanitarian support, on December 13, 2013. AFRICOM is beginning to transport African troops from Burundi to CAR using US Air Force C-17 aircraft operating out of Entebbe as part of a larger effort of African nations supporting the African crisis in CAR. C-17s will to fly about a dozen missions from Entebbe over a week time frame, transporting a Burundian light infantry battalion of about 850 men and equipment from Bujumbura to Bangui in CAR. The C-17’s are staged at Entebbe airport as a convenient mid-way point with the proper facilities to service the aircraft and support aircrews. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

A C-130J Super Hercules from Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas takes off from the Bydgoszcz Airport, Poland during Exercise Swift Response 16, June 8, 2016. Exercise SR16 is one of the premier military crisis response training events for multinational airborne forces in the world, the exercise has more than 5,000 participants from 10 NATO nations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Joseph Swafford/Released)

ORLANDO, Fla. - In today’s complex and high tempo operational environment, America’s Army Reserve to rapidly deploy highly trained units to any corner of the world with the personnel and equipment they have on hand. With multiple contingencies and numerous potential threats capable of employing cutting-edge tactics with modern military equipment, the Army Reserve looks to its premiere sustainers such the 143d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) to lead, train and equip its 10,000-Soldier command.

In taking the first, major step toward achieving this vital mission, the 143d ESC conducted a Mission Training Brief Feb. 2-3, 2018, at the command’s headquarters in Orlando, Fla.

“An MTB promotes cohesion through collaboration,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Walter L. Flinn, commander, 332nd Transportation Terminal Battalion. “It offers a forum for commanders to share their successes and shortcomings while seeking and offering guidance among their fellow leaders.”

Led by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Deborah L. Kotulich, commanding general, 143d ESC, the MTB featured dozens of senior leaders from the company to the ESC level whose wealth of knowledge and experience offered solutions to a myriad of logistical challenges.

“The expectation of having several months to bring your Soldiers up to speed at a pre-mobilization station is coming to an end,” Kotulich announced to dozens of battalion and brigade commanders and command sergeants majors huddled in the conference room. “We must assume that we will mobilize at a moment’s notice, and it’s our responsibility that we physically and mentally prepare every Soldier for the rigors of combat through realistic training.”

Kotulich expects every downtrace unit to spend less time in classrooms and more time in the field. This focus on individual and collective readiness stems from the U.S. Army Reserve Command’s Ready Force X initiative.

“Ready Force X is the Army Reserve’s answer to the [U.S.] Army’s demand for properly equipped and highly trained Soldiers who can rapidly deploy into combat,” said U.S. Army Col. Wanda Williams, commander, 641st Regional Sustainment Group. “Almost half of the 143d ESC’s downtrace units must meet the strict criteria established by Ready Force X’s “Fight Fast” mentality. This MTB offers precious time for commanders to obtain timely information needed to properly execute the numerous requirements to maintain a constantly high state of readiness.”

While Kotulich entrusts her fellow officers to formulate plans and carry out the Army Reserve’s “Fight Fast” initiative, she relies on her command sergeants major to refine the tasks required to carry out their commanding general’s intent.

“There are 43 individual training requirements that every unit must complete before reporting to a pre-mobilization site,” said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Carlos O. Lopes, command sergeant major, 143d ESC. “As NCOs, we are responsible for providing effective training that ensures every Soldier has mastered these fundamental skills that directly determine one’s survivability on the battlefield.”

“NCOs can only do this if they understand their commanders’ intent,” added Command Sgt. Maj. Kenyatta S. Stamps, command sergeant major, 787th Combat Support and Sustainment Battalion. “The MTB allows us to hear those intentions firsthand and develop effective techniques and tactics to achieve them.”

These techniques and tactics encompass a variety of tasks that enhance speed, agility and sustained readiness at the individual, team and unit level. From warrior drills to medical readiness, commanders must meticulously manage finite time and resources to crystallize the Army Reserve’s strategic vision and implement the 143d ESC’s operational mission.

“Ready Force X is about leadership, energy and execution,” said Flinn. “Commanders must own the responsibility for readiness. Establishing an open dialog among senior leaders remains paramount to understanding not only what we do but how we do it.”

With more than half of the 143d ESC falls under the Ready Force X umbrella, every unit and Soldier must face the challenges if they are to reap the awards of transforming America’s Army Reserve into the most lethal and capable federal reserve force in U.S. history.

“America demands highly trained and proficient Soldiers, and the Army Reserve is blessed to have motivated men and women ready to endure the hardships inherent in armed conflict,” said Williams. “That’s why I tell my Soldiers, ‘Don’t worry about the names. Just be ready. Be ready now!”

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John L. Carkeet IV, 143d ESC

Virginia National Guard Soldiers from the Virginia Beach-based 1940th and 1945th Contingency Contracting Teams participate in a six-day, joint, multi-state, contracting exercise Nov. 15, 2013, at Camp Pendleton, Va. The exercise, Vital Pledge, also includes Air and Army Guard personnel in Maine, Minnesota and South Dakota, as well as civilians from the Defense Logistics Agency. In addition to improving the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s familiarity with contracting systems and equipment, the exercise served to help prepare the four Soldiers of the 1945 CCT for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in early 2014. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

Lt. Col. Ash Groves, commander of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Maintenance Squadron, briefs members of the Civil Air Patrol Paducah Composite Squadron, Great Lakes Region Kentucky 011, and Boy Scout Troop 4, about the emergency-response capabilities of the 123rd Contingency Response Group at Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah, Ky., on June 18, 2014. The 123rd CRG is joining with the U.S. Army’s 688th Rapid Port Opening Element to operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening during Capstone '14, a homeland earthquake-response exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky., from June 16 to 19, 2014. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Charles Wilding, an aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, tightens the chains on a pallet of cargo outside the Joint Operations Center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 24, 2014. Wilding and more than 70 other Kentucky Air Guardsmen are operating an Aerial Port of Debarkation in Senegal to funnel humanitarian supplies and military support into West Africa as part of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Staff Sgt. Ryan Boyles, an aircraft maintenance craftsman from the 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. waits during sling load training with a CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 at JBMDL Feb 9, 2014. Sling load training enables both air and ground units the opportunity to practice moving large or urgent cargo into areas where aircraft cannot reach, such as aid supplies inside disaster areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

Members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group offload equipment from a Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 6, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening through Aug. 9. A JTF-PO, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit, ensures the smooth flow of relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, and coordinates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Aerial porters from Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group off-load 85 tons of humanitarian aid from a 747 cargo plane at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 2, 2014. The cargo, which includes medical supplies and troop-support equipment, will be staged in a nearby cargo yard before being airlifted to Liberia aboard U.S. Air Force C-130s in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Virginia National Guard Soldiers from the Virginia Beach-based 1940th and 1945th Contingency Contracting Teams participate in a six-day, joint, multi-state, contracting exercise Nov. 15, 2013, at Camp Pendleton, Va. The exercise, Vital Pledge, also includes Air and Army Guard personnel in Maine, Minnesota and South Dakota, as well as civilians from the Defense Logistics Agency. In addition to improving the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s familiarity with contracting systems and equipment, the exercise served to help prepare the four Soldiers of the 1945 CCT for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in early 2014. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Staff Sgt. Garin Knutson, an infantryman from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, and a native of Hesperia, Calif., begins an initial inspection of evidence found at an objective during Operation Lion Claw in Kirkuk, Iraq, May 4, 2011. The Kirkuk Emergency Services Unit, assisted by Soldiers of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, discovered equipment believed to be used in the assembly of rockets.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Robert DeDeaux, 1st AATF PAO, 1st Inf. Div., USD-N)

Col. Kevin Oliver, left, and Lt. Col. Shawn Underwood check a mission timeline during JOAX 12-02. Both are assigned to the 621st CRW at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Oliver is the joint task force-port opening commander, and Underwood is the 621st Contingency Response Wing exercise evaluator. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Edward Gyokeres)

Coin hand-off.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Major General David Perkins and Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey, 4th Infantry Division and United States Division-North command group, award Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Gillespie, a network manager from Rockymount, Va., assigned to 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, a Task Force Ironhorse Coin for Excellence during an award ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Warrior Sept. 15, 2011. “It was an honor,” said Gillespie, after receiving the coin. “The coin represents the hard work of an individual. The coin is also a reflection of the leadership or the team that instilled in the Soldier the values that lead to their achievement.”

(U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Robert DeDeaux, 1st AATF PAO, 1st Inf. Div., USD-N)

The Honorable John McHugh.CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Secretary of the Army, the Honorable John McHugh, speaks with Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, during a brief visit to Contingency Operating Base Warhorse, Sept. 14, 2011. Responsible for the management of every aspect of the Army’s personnel, equipment and finances, the Army’s most senior civilian leader assured the Soldiers the U.S. stands ready to provide the resources necessary for the Army to successfully accomplish its mission in support of Operation New Dawn. “This is the greatest land fighting force the world has ever seen … and it is our responsibility with whatever resources we are given to do the best job we can to preserve it,” said McHugh, who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from January 1993 to September 2009.(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams, USD - N PAO)

U.S. Army soldiers prepare to unveil the Henry Mayfield Jr. Dining Facility during the building’s grand opening and dedication ceremony at Baledogle Military Airfield (BMA), Somalia, May 1, 2020. The facility was named for U.S. Army Spc. Henry J. “Mitch” Mayfield Jr., who was killed in action Jan. 5, 2020, during an attack on Manda Bay Airfield, Kenya, by a terrorist organization. Mayfield, a Chicago native, was deployed to Kenya with the 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group, from Fort Rucker, Alabama. (U.S. Navy photo by Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Toniece Lurch)

A Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon maintainer uncovers a Typhoon’s intake during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Feb 7, 2016. The Typhoon is an agile multi-role fighter that has worked with the F-22 Raptor in contingency and training operations, and is now training with both the Raptor and F-35A Lighting II. (U.S Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)

Challenging a pro.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPIECHER, Iraq – Chief Warrant Officer Sherwin Macalibo, a field artillery intelligence officer from San Jose, Calif., assigned to Fires and Stability Operations Cell, 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, plays ping-pong with Drew Bennett, a retired National Football League wide receiver, at the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Center on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, during the Super Sunday Tour, Feb 4, 2011. During the tour, Bennett, who played with the Saint Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans, joined fellow NFL players and cheerleaders visiting posts across Iraq to thank U.S. Soldiers for the sacrifices made in support of Operation New Dawn and boost morale during Super Bowl weekend.

(U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

Lars Callieou calls out crowd members.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq –Lars Callieou, a comedian with the Lone Wolf Entertainment Comedy Tour 2011, calls on the audience to tell a joke while performing for Soldiers at U.S. Division-North Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Center on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 11, 2011. Callieou, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, made the stop at COB Speicher as part of his second overseas tour to entertain troops.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Shawn Miller, 109th MPAD, USD-N PAO)

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing (CRW) based at Travis Air Force Base, CA, deploy to Central African Republic (CAR) for humanitarian support, on December 13, 2013. AFRICOM is beginning to transport African troops from Burundi to CAR using US Air Force C-17 aircraft operating out of Entebbe as part of a larger effort of African nations supporting the African crisis in CAR. C-17s will to fly about a dozen missions from Entebbe over a week time frame, transporting a Burundian light infantry battalion of about 850 men and equipment from Bujumbura to Bangui in CAR. The C-17’s are staged at Entebbe airport as a convenient mid-way point with the proper facilities to service the aircraft and support aircrews. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Airmen from the 818th Contingency Response Group, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. perform sling load training with a CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 at JBMDL Feb 9, 2014. Sling load training enables both air and ground units the opportunity to practice moving large or urgent cargo into areas where aircraft cannot reach, such as aid supplies inside disaster areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Petty Officer 1st Class Eric Sobczak, from Chesapeake, Va., a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Redeployment Assistance and Inspection Detachment, places an inspection sticker on a shipping container at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Sept. 13, 2011. The team ensures that containers used by the U.S. Army are properly packed and labeled before shipping. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Crystal Hudson, 29th MPAD, USD – N PAO)

Joe List entertains crowd.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Comedian Joe List gets the crowd of troops and civilian contractors laughing during the Comics Ready to Entertain tour at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, March 5, 2011. List joined fellow comedians Nate Bargatze and Scott Kennedy during the Armed Forces Entertainment-sponsored tour in support of troops across Iraq and Kuwait. Armed Forces Entertainment is the Department of Defense’s official agency for providing entertainment to troops deployed overseas.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Shawn Miller, 109th MPAD, USD-N PAO)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces launch artillery rounds into one of the objectives at Khor Al Zubair, April 28, during Operation Lions Leap. The one-hour exercise, which occurred in five phases, involved air, land and sea assets of the Iraqi Security Forces. (Photo by Sgt. James Kennedy Benjamin)

Hundreds of Paratroopers from across Fort Bragg, N.C., line up for the Saturday Proficiency Jump Program initial manifest at Greenramp on Pope Army Airfield, Feb. 19, 2016. The SPJP builds the proficiency, experience, and confidence of individual Paratroopers, ensuring the XVIII Airborne Corps and 82nd Airborne Division remain ready for contingency response missions. (82nd Airborne Division photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Soldiers assigned to Commando Battalion, 12th Iraqi Army Division, converge on a mock hostage situation with humvees during a rehearsal for Operation Lion’s Leap, at Mahgoor Training Site in Kirkuk province, Iraq, April 10, 2011. During Operation Lion’s Leap, an exercise designed to showcase the Iraqi military’s combat prowess, Iraqi forces plan to integrate mortars, ground troops and air assets during a live fire operation.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

First Scotrail livery - DBS Class 90 No.90024 is seen at the north end of Kings Cross platform 7 at 00.42hrs on Saturday 11th August 2012 ready to work DBS Olympic contingency special 1Z20 01.30 to York. Although there were still large numbers of passengers making there way home from the various London Olympic venues the booked / additional trains run by East Coast and First Capital Connect proved to be sufficient and it returned ECS to Wembley.

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing (CRW) based at Travis Air Force Base, CA, deploy to Central African Republic (CAR) for humanitarian support, on December 13, 2013. AFRICOM is beginning to transport African troops from Burundi to CAR using US Air Force C-17 aircraft operating out of Entebbe as part of a larger effort of African nations supporting the African crisis in CAR. C-17s will to fly about a dozen missions from Entebbe over a week time frame, transporting a Burundian light infantry battalion of about 850 men and equipment from Bujumbura to Bangui in CAR. The C-17’s are staged at Entebbe airport as a convenient mid-way point with the proper facilities to service the aircraft and support aircrews. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Airmen from the 818th Contingency Response Group, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. perform sling load training with a CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 at JBMDL Feb 9, 2014. Sling load training enables both air and ground units the opportunity to practice moving large or urgent cargo into areas where aircraft cannot reach, such as aid supplies inside disaster areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

by signpros ift.tt/1PYqppw

Aerial porters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group push pallets of humanitarian aid from the cargo hold of 747 aircraft onto a waiting Halvorsen Loader at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 2, 2014. The cargo, which includes medical supplies and troop-support equipment, will be staged in a nearby cargo yard before being airlifted to Liberia aboard U.S. Air Force C-130s in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Tech. Sgt. Mitchell Thompson, 921st Contingency Response Squadron ramp coordinator, talks to other members of the Contingency Response Team while off loading CH-47 Chinook helicopters during Exercise Swift Response 16 at Bydgoszcz Airport, Poland, June 8, 2016. Contingency Response units are self-sufficient and can deploy with all personnel, equipment and supplies to execute the mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Joseph Swafford/Released)