An Alaska Air National Guard HC-130J Combat King II operated by aircrew from the 211th Rescue Squadron, 176th Wing, takes off from an unpaved landing strip at Malemute Drop Zone, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 18, 2021. The training prepared the guardsmen to operate in austere locations with unfinished or shorter runways. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)