A U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II aircraft prepares to land aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) during Iron Fist 2012 in the Pacific Ocean Feb. 7, 2012.
Iron Fist is a three-week bilateral training event held annually between the U.S. Marine Corps and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force designed to increase interoperability between the two services while aiding the Japanese in their continued development of amphibious capabilities. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Russell, U.S. Navy) Original public domain image from Flickr