U.S. Department of Defense no topic Update

U.S. Special Forces soldiers fire a mortar round toward an identified enemy fighting position while helping Afghan counterparts clear Bahlozi village in the Maiwand district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province, Jan. 1, 2014. Forces conducted the clearance mission to disrupt insurgents who hide in the village. The U.S. Special Forces soldiers are assigned to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan.

U.S. Navy Chief Phillip Gauronskas meets his son at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va., Jan. 5, 2014, upon returning from a nine-month deployment aboard the USS Monterey. The Monterey's crew supported maritime security operations, crisis response, theater security cooperation and provided a forward naval presence in the U.S. Navy's 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation.

A U.S. Marine runs at sunrise on the flight deck of the USS Boxer in the Arabian Sea, Dec. 31, 2014. The Boxer is the flagship of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and with the embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

The Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock breaks through ice as it transits to St. Ignace, Mich., for damage assessment following a collision on Lake Michigan, Jan. 5, 2014.