Paratroopers of 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade board a U.S. Air Force C-130 for departure from Lielvarde Airbase, Latvia, Sept. 8, 2014 at the conclusion of NATO exercise Steadfast Javelin II. NATO paratroopers occupied the airbase for several days to launch follow-on operations after seizing it the night of Sept. 5. Steadfast Javelin II is a NATO exercise involving over 2,000 troops from 10 nations, and takes place across Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The exercise focuses on increasing interoperability and synchronizing complex operations between allied air and ground forces through airborne and air assault missions. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael T. Crawford/Released)