Photos from February, 2006

WASHINGTON — Navy Lt. Cmdr. Steven Smith speaks to the audience of American and Russian citizens after he received the Order of Friendship Medal by Russian Ambassador Yuri Ushakov at the Russian Embassy here Feb. 28, 2006. Smith and Air Force Maj. Patrick Poon received the medals for their actions in the rescue of a Russian submarine crew Aug. 7, 2005, in waters off the country's Kamchatka peninsula. (DoD photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
WASHINGTON — Russian Ambassador Yuri Ushakov presents Air Force Maj. Patrick Poon with the highest honor awarded to non-Russian citizens, the Friendship Medal, at the Russian Embassy here Feb. 28, 2006. Poon and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Steven Smith were presented the medals for their actions in the rescue of a Russian submarine crew Aug. 7, 2005, in waters off the country's Kamchatka peninsula. (DoD photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
WASHINGTON — Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace and Russian Ambassador Yuri Ushakov meet after the ceremony that presented the highest honor awarded to non-Russian citizens, the Friendship Medal, to two American officers at the Russian Embassy here Feb. 28, 2006. Air Force Maj. Patrick Poon and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Steven Smith received the medals for their actions in the rescue of the Russian submarine crew Aug. 7, 2005. (DoD photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
MEDITERRANEAN SEA — An HH-60H Seahawk helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 3 approaches the USNS Spica during a vertical replenishment with the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt here Feb. 28, 2006. (DoD photo by Navy Airman Stephen Early) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
USS EMORY S. LAND, Atlantic Ocean — Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Emily Summers uses a sound-powered phone to establish communications with the vessel's damage control central during a general quarters drill onboard here Feb. 28, 2006. The submarine tender is en route to Africa's Gulf of Guinea for a series of security cooperation activities with various West African nations. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Kulp) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
HOHENFELS, Germany — Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team clear a building during exercise Noble Shepherd here Feb. 27, 2006. (DoD photo by Army Pfc. Ethan Anderson) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
USS THEODORE ROSSEVELT, Mediterranean Sea — An F-14D Tomcat aircraft assigned to Fighter Squadron 31 taxis to a steam-powered catapult prior to launch from the flight deck here Feb. 27, 2006. (DoD photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Randall Damm) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey — Airmen with the 39th Security Forces Squadron conduct a building sweep while on patrol duty during a surety inspection here Feb. 27, 2006. The inspection prepares Airmen to be vigilant toward various security threats and scenarios. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Larry Reid Jr.) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, Mediterranean Sea — An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 15 launches from the flight deck here Feb. 27, 2006. The carrier Roosevelt and embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 are currently under way to conduct maritime security operations. (Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Randall Damm) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
USS EMORY S. LAND, Mediterranean Sea — Sailors from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 load water here Feb. 25, 2006, as the submarine tender gets underway for the Gulf of Guinea. The deployment is part of a larger U.S. effort towards greater stability in Africa. Emory S. Land will spend six weeks in the region conducting exercises, training and community relations with several countries including Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Congo and Angola. (Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Kulp) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
KITZINGEN, Germany — Army Spec. Octavious Rhymes, a 1st Armored Division mechanic, leads Army Medic Staff Sgt. John Williams through a combat lane at the Expert Field Medical Competition here. The competition took place Feb. 22-24. (Army photo by Pfc. Tanya Polk) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
KITZINGEN, Germany — Army Staff Sgt. John Williams, a medical intelligence noncommissioned officer, treats a simulated patient during the Expert Field Medical Competition here Feb. 23, 2006. Williams is one of eight competing Soldiers who have earned an expert field medical badge and are competing in a 56-hour competition testing their medical, physical, technical and tactical skills. Williams is with 1st Armored Division's Division Support Command and will go on to compete at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in an Army-wide competition in May. (Army photo by Pfc. Tanya Polk) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
DEXHEIM, Germany — Army Sgt. Derwood Sloan, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 123rd Main Support Battalion’s Driver’s Academy, tests the Army's first heavy-wheeled vehicle simulator in Europe at Anderson Barracks here Feb. 22, 2006. (Army photo by Spec. Jennifer McFadden) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
KRTSANISI, Republic of Georgia — Marine Cpl. Joshua Kruzich, standing, evaluates the performance of Republic of Georgia Soldiers as they fire the PKM machinegun here Feb. 22, 2006. A 53-member U.S. task force is training the Georgian Soldiers who will fill positions in Iraq. The task force is part of U.S. European Command's Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program. GSSOP-trained troops will form part of the dedicated force called for in UN Security Council Resolution 1546 to protect UN forces in Iraq. (Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Moor) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — An Army Soldier assigned to Company B, 299th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team fires a .50-caliber machine gun at targets during a live-fire exercise here Feb. 22, 2006. (Army photo by Pfc. Ethan Anderson) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
KRTSANISI, Republic of Georgia — Marine Sgt. Michael Szeman evaluates Republic of Georgia Soldiers on firing the PKM machinegun at a range here Feb. 22, 2006. A 53-member U.S. task force, consisting mainly of veterans from conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, is training the Georgian Soldiers to form part of the dedicated force called for in UN Security Council Resolution 1546 to protect UN peacekeeping forces in Iraq. U.S. European Command's Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program assists the Georgian armed forces sustain those ongoing deployments. (Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Moor) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — M-1A1 Abrams tanks from Company B, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, engage targets during live-fire qualification here Feb. 17, 2006. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Richard Rose) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
USS OSCAR AUSTIN, Mediterranean Sea — Sailors from the USS Oscar Austin help connect a fuel line to the distressed Italian fishing vessel Zaira about 160 miles off the coast of Sicily Feb. 14, 2006. A helicopter crew from the USS Oscar Austin discovered the small craft as they conducted exercises at sea. As a thank you, the Italian fisherman presented their rescuers with a freshly caught swordfish from their trip. (Navy photo) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan — U.S. soldiers with the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and Pakistani Soldiers from the 67th Medical Battalion form an honor guard carrying the flags of both countries during a ceremony here Feb. 16, 2006. The ceremony marked the United States transferring the hospital, the last of its kind in the U.S. Army, to Pakistan. The U.S. military is participating in a Pakistani-led relief operation designed to aid victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the region Oct. 8, 2005. (DoD photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph McLean) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment roll through the training area here in an M-1A1 Abrams tank Feb. 16, 2006. (Army photo by Army Spec. Joe Alger) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
GJADER, Albania — U.S. Ambassador Marcie Ries, at the podium, addresses the crowd here Feb. 16 to commemorate the return of drinkable water to the village. The U.S. Embassy Albania and U.S. European Command funded the $99,000 project to fix the local water system. Joining Ries in the ceremony are members of the Albanian Parliament and Army Maj. James McKinney, chief of the office of defense cooperation in Albania. (DoS photo by Robert Manga) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
BAMBERG, Germany — Army Col. Walter Gilliam, 1st Infantry Division Artillery Brigade commander, joined by Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hunzeker, 1st ID commanding general, furl the brigade's colors during the unit’s inactivation ceremony inside Freedom Fitness Facility here Feb. 15, 2006, signifying an end to nearly a century of service to the nation. (Army photo by Spec. Stephen Baack) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
PRETORIA, South Africa — U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William Gainey, left, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to Warrant Officer of the South African Air Force Johan Du Preez in front of a statue of Gen. Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld in the South African Air Force headquarters here Feb. 14, 2006. Van Ryneveld founded the South African Air Force in February 1920. (Photo by South African Air Force Warrant Officer 2 Christo Crous) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
PRETORIA, South Africa — U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William Gainey, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told students at the South African Air Force College here Feb. 14, 2006, that he's learned how similar the two countries' noncommissioned officers are. (Photo by South African Air Force Warrant Officer 2 Christo Crous) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Air Force Staff Sgt. Bamidele Odeniyi, left, explains inventory procedures and operations to Botswana Lance Cpls. Joel Sefako and Bathoeng Keakwala from the Botswana Defense Force during their visit here Feb. 14, 2006. (Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Lasky) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
USS OSCAR AUSTIN, Mediterranean Sea — A rescue swimmer splashes into the sea to assist the distressed Italian fishing vessel Zaira about 160 miles off the coast of Sicily Feb. 14, 2006. A helicopter crew from the USS Oscar Austin discovered the small craft as they conducted exercises at sea. Oscar Austin dispatched an inflatable boat to assist the stranded fisherman, giving them enough fuel to return safely to port. (Navy photo) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
HEIDELBURG, South Africa — South African Army Staff Sgt. Gidion Basnere, right, instructs U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William Gainey, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on correct use of a shooting system for the R-4 rifle here Feb. 13. The device is designed to teach fundamentals of marksmanship before trainees go to a live range. (DoD photo by Kathleen Rhem) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
ROTA, Spain — An Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter is offloaded from the USNS Pililaau here Feb. 13, 2006, for transport via an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to another location. (DoD photo by Air Force Senior Airman Nichole Adamowicz) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
FEZ, Morocco — Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld meets with Morocco's King Mohammed VI here Feb. 13, 2006. Rumsfeld is touring several North African countries to discuss regional security issues. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
TUZLA AIR BASE, Bosnia and Herzegovina — Air Force Staff Sgt. Mark Beecroft aligns a telephone card here Feb. 13, 2006, while performing an annual certification on air traffic control and landing systems. He is assigned to the 401st Air Expeditionary Wing. (Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Chance Babin) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
RABAT, Morocco — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, left, meets with Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Benaissa after an arrival ceremony here Feb. 12, 2006. Rumsfeld is on a tour of several North African countries after attending the NATO Ministerial Conference in Taormina, Italy, Feb. 9 and 10. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
ALGIERS, Algeria — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld greets Algerian military leaders during a visit here Feb. 12, 2006. Rumsfeld is touring North African countries after attending the NATO Ministerial Conference in Taormina, Italy. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
RABAT, Morocco — From left, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Benaissa, and U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Riley walk past a Moroccan honor cordon welcoming Rumsfeld here Feb. 12, 2006. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
TUNIS, Tunisia — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, right, arrives here Feb. 11 and is welcomed by Tunisian Defense Minister Kamel Morjane with military honors. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
IGRISTE-VLASENICA SKI AREA, Bosnia and Herzegovina — Air Force Lt. Col. David Lowe, 401st Air Expeditionary Wing, Detachment 1, commander, takes some practice shots prior to the Operation Winter Games competition here Feb. 11. Lowe was part of the Air Force's three-man team that placed eighth in a competition that included 12 teams from 14 nations. (Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Chance Babin) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
IGRISTE-VLASENICA SKI AREA, Bosnia and Herzegovina — Participants from 14 nations prepare for Operation Winter Games with a pre-game briefing from an Austrian Soldier here Feb. 11. The service members formed 12 teams and competed in Olympic-style games bolstering the brotherhood between nations and within teams. (Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Chance Babin) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
TAORMINA, Italy — From left, British Minister of Defense John Reid, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer discuss policies and situations of mutual interest at the NATO Ministerial Conference here Feb 10, 2006. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy — First lady Laura Bush speaks to Airmen stationed here Feb. 10, 2006, thanking them for their sacrifices and efforts in supporting the Global War on Terror. The first lady is en route to Torino for the Olympic Winter Games. (DoD photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Bethann Caporaletti) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England — Air Force Senior Airman Dustin Cavanaugh, a 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron preventive maintenance specialist, conducts a power take off interlock test here, Feb. 10, 2006. Fuel tanks, consisting of jet, diesel and gas, require a daily test to prevent unexpected spills. The RAF Mildenhall preventive maintenance flight is capable of refueling any military, Defense Department or foreign and civilian aircraft. (Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tyrona Pearsall) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
GARMISCH, Germany — U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talks with students at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies here Feb. 10. Rice addressed the gathering via a teleconference from Washington, D.C. (Courtesy Photo) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England — Air Force Staff Sgt. Jonathan Seifert mixes JP-8 fuel while performing a fuels system icing inhibitor test here Feb. 10, 2006. Seifert is with the 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron. Tests are conducted two to three times a week to prevent fuel from icing. (Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tyrona Pearsall) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
TAORMINA, Italy — Italian Minister of Defense Antonio Martino greets Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld prior to a bilateral meeting Feb. 9 discussing mutual defense issues here. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
TAORMINA, Italy — Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, right, greets British Defense Minister John Reid prior to a bilateral meeting here at the NATO defense ministers conference Feb. 9. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa — Army Command Sgt. Maj. William Gainey, left, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to Lt. Gen. Jarinus Jansen van Rensberg, chief of corporate services for the South African National Defense Force, during a formal dinner here Feb. 9 at the International Warrant Officers Conference. (Photo by South African Air Force Flight Sgt. David Nomtshongwana) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
ACCRA, Ghana — Navy Adm. Harry Ulrich, commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Europe, conducts a pass and review of Ghanaian military forces during a visit here Feb. 6, 2006. Ulrich recently met with the president of Ghana and other military and civilian leaders to discuss regional security issues in the Gulf of Guinea. (DoD Photo) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
GARMISCH, Germany — Albanian Minister of Defense Fatmir Mediu delivers a lecture on Albania in Balkan security to participants in the Marshall Center’s Program in Advanced Security Studies here Feb. 6. Mediu also met with the center’s leaders and discussed the center’s educational capabilities with regard to Albania. (Photo by Karlheinz Wedhorn) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
MUZAFFARD, Pakistan — U.S. Army Capt. Stephen Schmelzer, center, and Army Spec. Katie Brothers, of the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital Unit from Miesau, Germany, demonstrate how to assemble a field sink to Pakistan army medical technicians here Feb. 6, 2006. The U.S. military is participating in Pakistani-led relief operations designed to aid victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the region Oct. 8, 2005. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Joseph McLean) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
KLAIPEDA, Lithuania — Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry Scott, center, and Lithuanian Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Stasys Laucys, right, receives a brief from Lithuanian Senior Chief Yeoman Michailas Karpuzovas during a tour of a Lithuanian ship here Feb. 6. Scott was given a tour of more than four ships at the naval base here. Scott's visit to Lithuania provided the opportunity to strengthen enduring partnerships between the two NATO nations by providing the chance for Sailors to exchange ideas and learn about each other’s naval customs, strengths and priorities. (Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sarah Bir) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
MUNICH, Germany — Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, right, talks to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, left, and Prof. Dr. h.c. Horst Teltschik during an informal discussion at the 42nd Munich Conference on Security Policy here Feb. 4, 2006. More than 40 foreign and defense ministers from around the world are attending the three-day conference to discuss global security issues. Teltschik is the chairman of the Munich Conference on Security Policy. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
CRETE, Greece — The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter pulls into Souda Bay here Feb. 3, 2006, for a port visit. The Porter is currently on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism. (U.S. Navy photo by Paul Farley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
CRETE, Greece — U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter handle lines during mooring operations upon their arrival for a port visit to Souda Bay here Feb. 3, 2006. The Porter is currently on a deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism. (U.S. Navy photo by Paul Farley) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
GARMISCH, Germany — Army Gen. Bryan Brown, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, speaks on the difference between traditional warfare and the Global War on Terrorism to about 200 participants from more than 40 nations at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies here Feb. 2, 2006. The course participants are attending the center’s 12-week program in advanced security studies and a five-week program in terrorism and security studies. More than 4,000 participants have graduated from Marshall Center programs, which feature important guest speakers such as Brown, as well as classes, field trips and other unique educational opportunities. (DoD photo by Karlheinz Wedhorn) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
BAUMHOLDER, Germany — Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gregory Marchand points out targets to Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy Ogan during Creek Defender here Feb. 2, 2006. The Airmen are security force specialists with the 52nd Security Forces Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. (Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Lasky) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
BAUMHOLDER, Germany — Air Force Airman 1st Class Robert Spears provides cover for his squad during foot patrol training here Feb. 2, 2006. Spears is a security force specialist with the 52nd Security Forces Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. (Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Lasky) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...
BRUCK, Germany — Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division and the 101st Military Intelligence Battalion brave cold, icy conditions to earn the Schutzenschnur German marksmanship medal here Feb. 1. (Army photo by Spec. Joe Alger) Hi-res / Details / Comments ...