A landing craft, air cushion from Assault Craft Unit 4, enters the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp during exercise Bold Alligator. Exercise Bold Alligator 2012, the largest naval amphibious exercise in 10 years represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces while showcasing the advantages of sea-basing. The exercise takes place Jan. 30 – Feb. 12, 2012, afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew M. Rivard.

ARABIAN SEA (Jan. 28, 2012) Damage Control Training Team members instruct a hose team as they advance through a smoke-filled hangar bay to fight a simulated fire during a general quarters drill aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kimberley Ryan holds hands with Afghan children as they walk to the local children's shura, or meeting, near Forward Operating Base Jackson in the Sangin district of Afghanistan's Helmand province, Jan. 20, 2012. Ryan is the team leader assigned to the Marine Headquarters Group, Female Engagement Team. The team, along with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, have been conducting classes to provide area citizens with a variety of educational opportunities. U.S. Marine Corps photo Cpl. Ed Galo.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle receives early morning maintenance on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 28, 2012. The aircraft provides close air support to coalition forces. The crew and aircraft are deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Harwood.

Members of coalition special operations forces wait for an air drop of supplies in the Shah Joy district in Afghanistan's Zabul province, Afghanistan, Jan. 25, 2012. Such drops help resupply forces in remote areas of Afghanistan. Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jon Rasmussen.

U.S. Army Spc. Joe Kunsch performs medical checks on village children during a combat patrol in Khowst province, Afghanistan, Jan. 25, 2012. Kunsch is a medic assigned to 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Epperson.

Air Force maintainers remove snow from a C-17 Globemaster III on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 12, 2012. The airmen are assigned to the 703rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and the C-17 crew are assigned to the 3rd Wing. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cynthia Spalding.

Army Staff Sgts.Theodore Bird, right, and James Miller pull a winch to a mired mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle at the Joint Readiness Training Center on Fort Polk, La., Jan. 25, 2012. Bird and Miller are paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team.U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod.

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 29, 2012) Seaman Samuel Flaspolar stands starboard lookout watch on the fantail of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). George H.W. Bush is in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Leonard Adams Jr.

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 21, 2012) Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Leon E. Panetta is briefed on the functions of the combat direction center during a visit aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). The Enterprise Carrier Strike Group is underway conducting a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael L. Croft Jr.