Paratroopers of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment and the Italian Folgore Brigade prepare to depart Lielvarde Airbase, Latvia, via a U.S. Air Force C-130 at the conclusion of NATO exercise Steadfast Javelin II Sept. 8, 2014. 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)