A U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing deploys an inflatable boat and survival gear into the Caribbean Sea following a simulated place crash off the coast of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Aug. 29, 2025 as part of Emerald Warrior 25.2, a large-scale special operations exercise staged in multiple locations by Air Force Special Operations Command. St. Croix provides an ideal environment for testing littoral and maritime capabilities, simulating many of the geographic features that Airmen may encounter when deployed around the world to project air power in unfamiliar or contested environments. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)