U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Hess, 2nd Platoon, Bravo

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Hess, 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-327 Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, East African Response Force (EARF), observes a machine gun team during a night live-fire at a range along the southern coast of the Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti, June 30, 2017. The purpose of the EARF is to rapidly provide tailorable packages of forces to protect American interests on the continent of Africa should any threats arise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas A. Priest).