U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Michael Gonzalez prepares ammunition for an M240B machine gun during a live-fire exercise as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2013 in Thies, Senegal, Sept. 18, 2013. APS is an international security cooperation initiative facilitated by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa aimed at strengthening global maritime partnerships through training and collaborative activities in order to improve maritime safety and security in Africa.