Two heavy-drop equipment rigs exit the tail of a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft Oct. 23, 2014, over the Buffalo Drop Zone at Fort Greely, Alaska. The heavies carried equipment necessary for the follow-on jumpers from the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division to conduct ground operations in support of the airborne operation Spartan Pegasus. 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)