143rd Infantry (Airborne) Forcible Entry

U.S. Soldiers of Bravo Company assigned to the 143rd Infantry (Airborne) returns fire with the Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) during The Joint Forcible Entry Exercise at Kelly Drop Zone, San Antonio, Texas on Mar. 23, 2019. The Joint Forcible Entry Exercise is an annual large-scale Airborne drop and mobility mission that simulates a contested battlefield scenario as a way of training units for dangerous situations that occur while deployed.

Military Units Featured

143rd Infantry (Airborne)

The 143rd Infantry Regiment is an airborne infantry formation in the Army National Guard and has one battalion active under the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team as part of the Associated Unit Program, aligning active and reserve units with one another for training and deployment. The regiment was raised on 15 October 1917.

982nd Combat Camera Company

The 982nd Combat Camera Company (Airborne) is one of only two combat camera companies in the U.S. Army. The mission of COMCAM forces is to provide the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), the military departments, combatant commands, and Joint Task Force (JTFs) with a directed imagery capability in support of operational and planning requirements through the full range of military operations.

Military Equipment Featured

Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW):  the M249 light machine gun (LMG), formerly designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the American adaptation of the Belgian FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal (FN). A squad automatic weapon (also section automatic weapon; light support weapon) is a fully automatic firearm used to give infantry squads or sections a man-portable source of fully automatic firepower.

Photographer

US Army Reserve Photo by Spc. Jeffery Harris.