This week’s photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

A Mississippi Air National Guard pilot from the 172nd Airlift Wing looks out the window during an engine run offload on the flightline at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Miss., during Exercise Turbo Distribution Oct. 29, 2015. The U.S. Transportation Command exercise tests the joint task force-port opening’s ability to deliver and distribute cargo during humanitarian relief operations.

Air traffic controllers from the 51st Operations Support Squadron track incoming and outgoing air traffic on radar during Vigilant Ace 16 at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Nov. 2, 2015. Operations performed by the base’s air traffic controllers, both exercise and real-world, are vital to the safe conduct of all military and civilian aircraft occupying the airspace in and around Osan AB and Suwon. 

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrying the Air Force’s GPS IIF-11 satellite launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Oct. 31, 2015. The 45th Space Wing supported the Air Force’s 11th launch of a Boeing-built GPS IIF satellite aboard a ULA Atlas V from the station’s Space Launch Complex 41. 

Aircraft maintainers assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa conduct a post-flight inspection on a C-130 Super Hercules at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 30, 2015. Through unified action with U.S. and international partners in East Africa, CJTF-HOA conducts security force assistance, executes military engagement, provides force protection and military support to regional counter-violent extremist organization operations in order to support aligned regional efforts, and ensures regional access and freedom of movement, as well as protecting U.S. interests. 

Maj. Charles Trickey, a 461st Flight Test Squadron F-35 Lightning II experimental test pilot, successfully fires the four-barrel 25 mm GAU-22/A Gatling gun while in flight Oct. 30 over China Lake Weapon Range, Calif.

Staff Sgt. Christopher Rector, a 459th Airlift Squadron special missions aviator, keeps his eyes on the water off the coast of Tokyo Oct. 28, 2015. The crew delivered simulated medical supplies to Miakejima Island, showcasing Yokota’s ability to augment the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s disaster relief efforts.

An AH-1W Super Cobra from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773, Detachment A, prepares to land as crew chiefs ready a Tyndall Air Force Base F-22 Raptor for takeoff Oct. 27, 2015, during Exercise Southern Strike at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Belle Chasse, La. Southern Strike allowed pilots to perform in a realistic environment and train with fourth- and fifth-generation fighters in high threat scenarios.

Humvees from the 82nd Airborne Division are airdropped from a C-17 Globemaster III Oct. 27, 2015, over Netherlands during a joint operation access exercise. The 82nd ABD is stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., and is training as part of the global response force.

Airmen from the 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron load a missile-guided bomb into an F-35A Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Oct. 16, 2015. Flightline munitions load training allows crews to practice in a realistic work environment.

An F-22 Raptor from the 199th Fighter Wing soars over the island of Oahu as a part of Warrior Day exercises at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Oct. 28, 2015.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Tucker, a C-130 Hercules crew chief assigned to the West Virginia National Guard’s 130th Airlift Squadron, wipes down his aircraft’s windshield during preflight ground checks in preparation for Exercise Turbo Distribution in Gulfport, Miss., Oct. 28, 2015. The U.S. Transportation Command exercise tests the joint task force-port opening’s ability to deliver and distribute cargo during humanitarian relief operations.