For 1st Lt. Francesco La Torre, the Army’s first drone-on-drone kill wasn’t the Hollywood moment most would imagine. “In A New Hope, Luke Skywalker flies an X-Wing through the Death Star trench and blows it up,” La Torre said. “This wasn’t like that. It was way harder. Honestly, it felt more like Darth Vader shooting down rebel pilots. He might be the villain, but he’s also one of the best pilots in the galaxy.”

VICENZA, Italy – U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) Civil Affairs Team (CAT) Kenya conducted civil reconnaissance and engagements as part of ongoing efforts to enhance educational infrastructure and promote long-term stability in Lamu County at Bora Imani Primary School near Camp Simba, Kenya, July 11.

Imagine walking nearly 100 miles in the summer heat with a rucksack, sore feet, and a few thousand new friends. For Sky Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, that was Nijmegen 2025 in a nutshell.

VICENZA, Italy – When U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) identified a need to gather evidence, the U.S. Army’s Joint Theater Forensic Analysis Center (JTFAC) answered the call. Its forensic team launched into action at sea, turning expertise into real-world impact. At the request of CENTCOM and AFRICOM, JTFAC personnel deployed to collect and analyze forensic evidence from a vessel carrying Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons. The seized cargo included ballistic missile components, anti-ship ballistic missile parts and a warhead, all bound for Houthi rebel forces in Yemen. The forensic evidence helped secure a June 5, 2025, federal conviction of the ship’s captain, Muhammad Pahlawan, a Pakistani national who worked closely with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on six charges related to smuggling Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry destined for the Houthis in Yemen, as well as threatening multiple witnesses.

Three U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), joined an Italian Army Major to visit the Scuola Primaria A. Fogazzaro di Tonezza Del Cimone on June 4, 2025.

In the fast-paced and often unpredictable world of military operations, U.S. service members are frequently mobilized across the globe to support exercises, conflicts and peacekeeping missions. These assignments come with unique challenges, and sometimes, life threatening emergencies.