U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jeffery Mears an infantry crewman with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, prepares 7.62 mm ammunition for a live-fire exercise as part of National Training Center rotation 26-05 at Fort Irwin, California, March 1, 2026. NTC 26-05 utilizes the skills, standard operating procedures and knowledge necessary to successfully deploy and employ an LAR battalion as well as advancing modernization for contested environments. Mears is a native of Wisconsin. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mia Ocampo)