Southern Strike 2017, US Marine Corps Photo

A U. S. Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet, assigned to the Cowboys of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA-112, Naval Air Station Forth Worth Joint Reserve Base, departs the air to ground range at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Miss., during exercise South Strike 2017 (SSTK2017), Oct. 26, 2016. SSTK2017 is a total force, multi-service training exercise hosted by the Mississippi Air National Guard’s Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport, Miss., from Oct. 24 through Nov. 4, 2016. The exercise emphasizes air-to-air, air-to-ground and special operations forces training opportunities. These events are integrated into demanding hostile and asymmetric scenarios with actions from specialized ground forces and combat and mobility air forces. (U. S. Air National Guard Photo by Master Sgt. Richard L. Smith)