Staff Sgt. Caleb Nicola, 9th Special Operations Squadron loadmaster, and Senior Airman Albert Washington, 9th SOS direct support operator, prepare for a static-line jump mission from an MC-130J Commando II during exercise Emerald Warrior 22.1 over the Gulf of Mexico, May 4, 2022. Emerald Warrior is the largest joint special operations exercise involving U.S. Special Operations Command forces training to respond to various threats across the spectrum of conflict. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Harrison Winchell)