A Defender from the 5th Security Forces Squadron stands

A Defender from the 5th Security Forces Squadron stands guard in front of a B-52H Stratofortress at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., Nov. 3, 2015, during Exercise Global Thunder 16. The 5th Security Forces Squadron is part of U.S. Strategic Command’s (USSTRATCOM) Task Force 204 and supports USSTRTATCOM’s strategic deterrence and global strike missions by providing combat-ready forces, including long-range, nuclear-capable B-2 Spirit and B-52H Stratofortress bombers. Global Thunder is an annual U.S. Strategic Command training event that assesses command and control functionality in all USSTRATCOM mission areas and affords component commands a venue to evaluate their joint operational readiness. Planning for Global Thunder 16 has been under way for more than a year and is based on a notional scenario with fictitious adversaries. USSTRATCOM, one of nine DoD unified combatant commands, relies on various task forces for the execution of its global missions, which also include space operations; cyberspace operations; joint electronic warfare; missile defense; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; combating weapons of mass destruction; and analysis and targeting. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class J.T. Armstrong)