U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Courtney Nofsinger, a crew chief with the 182nd Airlift Wing, Illinois Air National Guard, conducts a pre-flight maintenance check during Exercise Proptoberfest on Sept. 12, 2024, at San Diego, California. The joint training in Exercise Proptoberfest between the Illinois Air National Guard’s 182nd Airlift Wing C-130s and the German Air Force A400Ms reinforces the NATO alliance, building on the successful collaboration during the Air Defender 23 exercise and emphasizing the strategic importance of partnerships in maintaining global security, consistent with the 2022 National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Katherine Jacobus)