Paratroopers with the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division step across the tarmac as they prepare to board a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to carry out orders for the Spartan Pegasus airborne operation Oct. 23, 2014, at the Joint Mobility Complex at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Spartan Pegasus is a cold-weather, rapid-entry operation demonstrating U.S. Army Alaska’s unique capacity to provide rapid-response ground forces to the joint forces commander throughout remote, Arctic environments. The iteration of Spartan Pegasus is integrated with Exercise Vigilant Shield 15, which is the annual North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command homeland defense exercise. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Smith/Released)