Sailors prepare an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Royal Maces of Strike Fighter Squadron 27 for launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington during Valiant Shield 2014. Valiant Shield is a U.S.-only exercise integrating an estimated 18,000 Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps personnel, more than 200 aircraft and 19 surface ships, offering real-world joint operational experience to develop capabilities that provide a full range of options to defend U.S. interests and those of its allies and partners.